Home
by Shadow of a Black Rose
Summary: The chance meeting of a young match seller and a lizard woman from the dawn of time can lead to so many things: the story of Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint and how they fell in love. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Miss Jenny Flint

**Disclaimer: **Anything you recognise belongs to the BBC and whichever writer came up with the ideas I use (yeah, it's hard to keep track with Doctor Who so that's the best I can do with crediting people :L).

**Note: **Well, this is a bit different and new. I thought for a change I would divert from my usual Harry Potter and Blackcest stories to give a Doctor Who fic a go. I have been feeling rather inspired to write a Vastra/Jenny fic for a while now so I'm just hoping that it will turn out to be as good as I'm hoping it will be. Anywho, (see what I did there? Oh I'm so witty :L ) on with the show and all that. I hope you all enjoy and reviews are more than welcome!

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

**Warning: **I'm not sure where I'm going with this yet but knowing me it'll probably get a bit steamy so I'm warning you now so that no one can say I didn't! ;)

**Home**

As always the room was pitch black as Jenny Flint opened her eyes in the early morning. A bitter chill filled the room and she tugged on her thin bed sheets in a futile attempt to shield the tender flesh of her neck from the breeze entering through the broken window. It was at times like this when she cursed her family for their poverty stricken state, but then she remembered that it really wasn't their fault and she was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. She knew both her mother and father did their best to make enough money for the family, and she herself worked herself nearly to the point of collapse every day, it just wasn't good enough. Some families were just unlucky and Jenny knew that that was the exact situation her family found themselves in.

The wind continued its endless attack on the small window of Jenny's room and she finally gave up on the idea of sleep, slowly sitting up on her rickety bed, a little apprehensive of its ability to stay upright under the shifting of her weight. She wondered what time it was. It had to be early morning, it was still pitch black outside as opposed to the murky grey shade that tinted the sky as the morning passed on through time. A part of her thought that lighting a candle to check the time would be a good idea but then she began to debate the matter - she knew that she only had a candle and a half left and business had been slow lately. Barely anyone even gave her a second glance as she walked the streets attempting to sell her matches recently, she may as well have been invisible and sometimes she thought she was with the way the toffs passed her by with their noses in the air. There was no way she'd be able to buy more candles any time soon if business carried on the way it was going. Even so, she was awake and with no hope of getting back to sleep again she decided she may as well make herself useful and start the day early.

Blindly Jenny felt along the surface of the floor by her bed and eventually caught hold of her half used candle in its holder and her personal matches that she kept by its side. Her hands shook from the cold as she attempted to light a match and more than once the matches snapped under her numb fingers. Jenny cursed under her breath. She may have been a match girl but that did not mean she could afford to just throw good matches away. She was expected to give all of her earnings to the man who gave her the matches and she would be given her own wages in return. If the correlation between matches and income wasn't right she knew she'd get a good whack for it at least, most likely losing out on her week's wages in the process which was the last thing she needed. Instead of giving up Jenny retrieved the good half of the last match that had snapped and tried again, finally getting a spark which gradually grew into a small, dancing flame at the end of the half match. Carefully she lit her candle and blew the match out, placing it back with the others in the small matchbox in the hope that it may work again and save her any waste.

The floor was ice as Jenny swung her legs over the edge of the bed and her delicate little feet pressed onto the splintered wood. She didn't wince, barely aware of the temperature that she was far too used to or the tiny shards of wood digging into her flesh. She held the candle up a little higher so that its orange glow lay a hazy light across the room. She hated how bare the room was. It only contained a handful of furnishings: her own bed, a small set of draws, a wicker chair in the far corner by the door and her little brother's bed opposite her own. Jenny peered over at her brother's sleeping form to assure herself that she hadn't disturbed him before quietly standing and tip-toeing over to the chest of draws, pulling out her dress, an old corset of her mother's, a worn down pair of stockings and garters to hold them up. Quickly she dressed (with a little difficulty when it came to the corset which her mother usually helped her with) and slipped on her leather boots that one of her slightly wealthier cousins had bought for her last Christmas. The boots were the most expensive thing Jenny owned and she remembered the shock she had experienced on receiving them. At first she had attempted to protest, telling her cousin Jane that she simply couldn't accept anything so lavish but Jane had insisted.

"You're family Jenny," she had stated matter-of-factly "and family look after one another. Your job will be much easier with boots like these, I can't bear the thought of you traipsing through the streets in those flimsy things that you call boots." So really Jenny had had no choice but to accept the gift.

Jenny often envied Jane's situation in comparison to her own. Jane had been recommended by her father's employer as a house maid for a rich couple who lived on the outskirts of London when she was thirteen and she had been employed there ever since. As the couple had begun to start a family Jane had even been promoted to act as a personal assistant to the nursery maid and was given a little extra money on top of the salary she received as a maid. Despite the fact that the patriarch didn't pay particularly well for the job Jane did it was a lot more than Jenny had ever earned and she would often hope that one day someone would recommend her as a housemaid to some family or another and she could finally live in a house where the windows weren't broken and the furniture didn't constantly seem to be falling apart.

As if the house had been reading her thoughts at that very moment a particularly harsh gust of wind pummelled against the window so hard that it crashed open and smashed against the outer wall of the building so that one of the panes of glass slid out and smashed onto the street below. Jenny felt herself tense at the noise and immediately looked over to check that her brother was still sleeping. Of course, he hadn't even stirred at the noise. It often amazed Jenny how Sam could sleep through just about anything. The slightest noise had always had the ability to wake her but her little ten year old brother could sleep through howling storms without the slightest sign that he was aware of what was going on. Satisfied that Sam was still slumbering soundly Jenny hurried to the window and tried to close it again as securely as she could, frowning at the missing pane of glass and wondering how on earth she would ever be able to sleep now that there was even more cold air getting into the room. Sighing softly she resigned herself to the state of things and went about making her bed and getting her matches together before taking them along with her still flickering candle down to the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen Jenny grimaced a little. Because of their lack of money her family had been forced to share the house they lived in with another family who, to Jenny's dismay, didn't seem capable of cleaning up after themselves. While Jenny, her parents and her brother occupied the two upstairs rooms of the house the Green family (made up of a couple and their four children, all aged between eight months and seven years old) held ownership of the two rooms downstairs. The kitchen was a communal area but Jenny was forever arguing with Mrs Green over the state that her family left the room in. There was always some form of mashed up food that they fed to the babies all over the table and it was impossible to find a space on the floor or chairs that wasn't piled high with clothes that needed washing. Even the fire place seemed to be host to the children's toys and play things so that whenever any member of the Flint family wanted to use the kitchen they had to have a through clean up before hand. Jenny couldn't remember the last time she had seen a member of the other family attempting to clean up their mess. That morning was no exception for the vile state the room was in and Jenny had to pick her way across the room just to place her candle down on a small section of the table that wasn't occupied by objects or filthy. She threw some tattered and filthy old sheets off of a nearby chair and lowered herself into it, fearing that she may have chosen the one with the rotten leg but being delighted to find that she had managed to locate the only good chair in the house.

Looking at the small clock that sat over the fire Jenny found that she still had an hour or so before she had to think about starting her work day and so she sat quietly in thought for a short while, wondering when her mother would be up to make her father's breakfast. She didn't eat breakfast herself, preferring to save food for the one important meal at the end of the day, but Jenny knew that her father couldn't last as long as her without some form of nourishment (if you could call it that). Her father worked on the docks, loading and unloading ships as they brought in the produce Britain traded with far off lands. He needed all the energy and food he could get for such a difficult and tiring job.

On several occasions Jenny had wondered what it might be like to visit far off lands like those which traded goods with her own country. The thought of a whole new place fascinated her and she was especially interested in the people who lived in those places. How different would they be to the people she saw each day? Would they look different? Would they speak differently? Would they even be able to understand Jenny if she tried to communicate with them? She had always had a fascination with the wider world around her ever since she was a child, something her mother had always been uncomfortable with, but her father saw no harm in it.

"The girl's got interest in the world around 'er, 'aint nothin' wrong with that" he always said, with a lopsided smile and a wink aimed at his daughter. Jenny admired her father for his attitude to the world. He seemed to understand it better than most. She didn't think there was anything that could shock him about it.

Just as Jenny was about to look back up at the clock she heard footsteps on the stairs and a few moments later her mother entered the kitchen, looking a little startled at the sight of her daughter.

"Good 'eavens, you gave me a fright Jenny." To look at Jenny's mother it was plain to see where Jenny had got her looks from; she was a petite woman with dark hair (slightly greying with age and hardship) that she kept pinned tightly behind her head. Her cheek bones were high and prominent and she had big dark eyes and a delicate nose over soft, smiling lips. Despite the hard life she lead, Mrs Flint always had a smile for anyone who saw her. She was a seamstress and would often communicate with all kinds of women from the class just above their own. She prided herself on being the most approachable and accomplished woman in her profession, but despite her accomplishments a seamstress's job still wasn't a very well paying one and her wages were only enough to pay for the roof over their heads while Jenny and her father both put money in for the food the family ate.

"What are you doin' down 'ere so early?" the woman asked her daughter, frowning a little as she tried to find a reasonably clear path to the pantry at the back of the kitchen.

"That damn window's been playin' up again." Jenny sighed, still trying to figure out if there was any way she could fix said window. "A bit o' glass's gone now, I don't think I'm ever gonna get to sleep again."

"I'll 'ave your father look at it later to see what 'e thinks" and with that she disappeared into the pantry. Jenny took her opportunity to check the time and, seeing that it had almost been an hour she retrieved her matches and picked up her shawl from the back of the chair where she had left it the night before and, with a quick farewell to her mother she slid out of the door into the cool morning air.


	2. Vastra Awakes

**Note: **Wow, I have amazed myself with how quickly this update has come around. Maybe don't expect all updates to be this fast but I promise I will try to keep them coming as quickly as possible as I'm really enjoying writing this fic so far. So read, enjoy and review my lovelies

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

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A jolt. A crash. The world seemed to shake and a blinding light seemed to engulf Vastra as her eyes flicked open in pure terror. What was going on? Why was she awake? All she could see was the light and her crystal blue eyes blinked furiously, desperately attempting to adjust to these new surroundings. She pressed her scaled hands firmly to the earthy ground below her and crouched like the predator she was, ready to pounce at the first threat she saw. Looking around all she could see was the light but as it gradually began to fade and her eyes adjusted she began to discern a very different world surrounding her from the one she had been laid to hibernate in. She could see her hibernation pod a few feet away, smashed open in a way that she could only assume had forced the seal to break as she rolled out into this future world. Under her feet and hands there was one familiarity, the natural dirt of the earth, but before her there were metal railings, some joined to the earth and some not, far from the natural surroundings she remembered. As her gaze travelled up the light remained bright but something was moving in front of it. It was a figure and it seemed apprehensive on its approach.

As soon as Vastra sensed the other being she instinctively tensed herself, the talons on her fingers sharp and ready to be used in her defence. Were there more? She could only assume so. It would be naive of her to think that one creature would approach something like her without back up. But what about her? Where was her back up? Where were her sisters? Had they been awoken too? Vastra knew she hadn't seen any more pods when she had first awoken, if she had she would have wasted no time in going to the aid of her family. No, there had been no others. But they had fallen into hibernation together, so where were they all? Once again Vastra's attention was drawn to the creature that was continuing to edge closer to her. Her instincts heightened as she noticed three more figures of the same stature appearing as shadows in the light and a thought occurred to her. Maybe she hadn't been the first to wake. It was possible that the others had already awoken as she had, watching as the figures crept towards them until... suddenly it all made sense and Vastra saw red. Had these beings, whatever they were, killed her family? Her people?

"Oi, I fink we got us anover one" one of the beings called to the others. It was a male voice; Vastra recognised it as a human male, similar to those she had hunted in her old world but somehow more intelligent and advanced (well, to some extent - he was nowhere near as advanced as her kind). 'Another one' he had said, so they had awoken others before her.

"Is it fightin' yet?" Another male voice was calling from further away.

"No, jus' watchin' me. It's not a nice feelin' bein' watched by one." The figure Vastra had seen initially was close now, close enough for her to make him out quite clearly. He was human, definitely. She would guess his life span had reached twenty human years at least, although from his appearance she was not sure how much longer he would live. He was grubby and his skin was discoloured in several places. There was a rag tied around his right hand which she assumed was acting as a bandage of sorts and he appeared to be walking unevenly. He looked tired and worn and she thought she could beat him easily if he were to attack her, humans were no match for a Silurian warrior. "Shall I kill it?"

"No wait," came the other voice again "see what it does. The others attacked straight away, maybe we could give this one to a circus if it's tame enough. Make a few bob from it I reckon"

Vastra listened carefully. She had no idea what a circus was but she had understood one thing - the others were dead. These creatures had killed them. The thought made her hiss loudly and the man closest to her backed off a little, pulling a knife from somewhere on his person. He looked scared. She could almost taste his fear on the air as her tongue slipped from her mouth slowly to test the surroundings. _He is right to be scared_ she thought to herself, _my sisters are dead. Does he really believe I won't avenge them_?

In an instant she had leapt forward, grabbing the man by the throat and cutting deep into the flesh with her talons before he could do so much as scream. She was no longer curious. No longer willing to wait patiently and sense these human apes. They had killed her sisters and they would pay with their lives. The man she still held in her strong, scaled hands was still breathing, his warm, filthy blood staining her hands as he gasped for air. In one swift movement she had lifted him and clamped her jaw down around the exposed underside of his throat, ripping the flesh away and practically swallowing it whole. It was the first thing she had eaten since she had gone into hibernation all those millions of years before and the soft flesh and the sharp tang of blood consumed her all at once. Her pupils dilated, blocking out the blue of her eyes until she was no more than the primal warrior. The animal bent on revenge.

Launching herself forwards she ran towards the next ape with inhuman speed. It seemed the primitive creatures now understood what was going on as the three men that had been left had multiplied to ten, each brandishing a weapon of sorts though Vastra hardly believed any of them could do much real damage. She reached her next victim within a matter of seconds and before he could lift the shovel he held in his meaty pink hands the Silurian woman had thrown it far behind her and sent the man flying after it with as much ease as a grown man would throw a child's doll. She watched as the ape fell to the floor in a crumpled heap before turning to the remaining nine. They were advancing faster now, and with far more aggression, each with their weapon held at the ready. She lunged towards one but another caught her around the waist and attempted to throw her to the ground. She didn't budge, almost sneering at the pathetic attempts these apes made at overpowering her. In the blink of an eye her tongue whipped from her mouth and caught her attacker around his arm. The sound that emanated from him was torturously loud. It sounded as though he was being burned alive as the Silurian's venom surged through his veins and he dropped at Vastra's feet like an apple from a tree, totally unconscious.

One by one the men attempted to subdue Vastra but none succeeded. They dropped like flies under her claws and tongue until she stood surrounded by their fallen bodies and drenched in their blood. Vastra panted furiously as the last man fell, hungrily looking between the bodies (some dead and some not) considering which to dispose of first - she was so very hungry. She was just kneeling down again by her first kill when she heard someone behind her.

"Stop!" She halted, her teeth mere inches from the ape's stomach and curiously turned her head to see which man she had missed. But, to her great surprise, the man behind her was different to all of the others. He looked different. His scent tasted different. She growled warningly but the man did not flinch, he merely pushed his floppy mess of hair out of his eyes and straightened his bow tie. "You're lowering yourself to their level". Vastra regarded the newcomer coldly. Who was he to make such judgements and what would he know about it anyway?

"They murdered my sisters!" She growled venomously, crouching again to display her readiness to attack if he threatened her.

"I know," he said calmly, holding his hands where she could see them as a sign of peace "I know and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what they did. But don't you see, they were as scared as you were when they first saw you."

"They were right to be" Vastra snapped. She allowed herself to straighten up slightly, acknowledging his attempt at peaceful communication while still avoiding making herself vulnerable. She didn't know this man or anything about him but she was beginning to wonder if he was an ape or something more. He looked like an ape, that was for sure, but his eyes were as old as her own and he wasn't afraid of her. There was no fear. Unlike the first man who had approached her this one was not scared. He was calm. He seemed to understand both the apes and Vastra herself.

"Apparently so." The man moved to one of the bodies lying on the ground and held a silver object that made a funny noise over it. He repeated the action on each prone form as Vastra watch suspiciously, never moving an inch until he came to the man she was still crouched over. As he repeated his actions yet again she scampered back a small way to give him space. She didn't know what he was doing but it made her uncomfortable. "Oh good," he muttered to himself "only two dead."

"That would not be the case if you had stayed away a few minutes more" she was still eyeing this newcomer suspiciously, "who are you?"

"Oh. Sorry." Suddenly the man seemed to be all smiles and sweetness, standing straight and straightening his bow tie yet again. "I'm the Doctor. Just the Doctor. Nothing more." He grinned at her cheekily and Vastra's confusion only grew. She rose from her stooped position on the ground, standing straight for the first time as she became almost certain that this man would not attack her any time soon. Slowly she edged towards him, walking around him and examining every visible part of him as she went.

"And you are not afraid of me, Doctor? What makes you think I won't do to you what I have done to these other men? You are one of them, from what I can tell. Therefore, you are also responsible for the death of my sisters." She regarded him coldly. None of this made any sense. Why was he not afraid?

"Oh, I don't think you'll kill me."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm not afraid of you." The Doctor stood facing her, looking straight into her eyes with a small, knowing smile. "Not many people around here will be unafraid of a big talking lizard woman and I think you have already figured that out for yourself." He was right. Vastra was almost certain that anyone she met in this place would be afraid of her. She was not something that an ape would have seen before and it would be a natural instinct for them to want her dead.

"I am not a lizard" Vastra said coolly, watching the Doctor as he stood before her "I am a..."

"Silurian, yes I know. Beautiful creatures your race, it's a shame that the rest are hidden away under the earth."

"What are you?! How do you know what I am?! No ape could have such knowledge, you are not of this world." Vastra was becoming uncomfortable again. She recommenced circling the false ape, trying to get some sense of who he was. The Doctor continued to stand very still as she surveyed him from head to toe and didn't say another word until they were facing each other once more.

"I'm a Time Lord. And I can help you, if you'll let me."

"I don't need your help! Time Lord or Human, you still look like an ape to me. No ape would help in what I must do. No ape would assist in the slaughter of this race." The Doctor's eyes darkened and for a split second the terror Vastra had felt when she first awoke returned to her. Unconsciously her feet carried her back away from the Doctor until she was pressed against a wall of earth.

"What's your name?" The darkness had not gone from his eyes but he still seemed to be calm. He made no attempt to approach her again, just watching her and awaiting an answer.

"Vastra" she hissed slightly, "Madame Vastra. My father was the leader of our tribe back when we ruled this earth. He taught me everything I know about disposing of apes.."

"Humans," the Doctor corrected her "they are called humans. Vastra, listen to me, you cannot go out into this world and kill every human you see. I know you're hurting. I know how painful it is to lose your own family, but it's not the humans' fault that they were scared. Don't let your pain turn you into a murderer of innocents."

As she watched him Vastra noticed how the darkness drained from his eyes. Old eyes. Eyes filled with pain and loss. Perhaps this man, this Time Lord, knew what he was talking about after all. Perhaps the humans were not entirely to blame. Cautiously, Vastra walked towards the Doctor once more, never moving her gaze from his. An old memory spun in her mind as she approached the man, the memory of something her father had once told her when she was just a hatchling: 'truth is singular, lies are words. That is how you know who you can trust.'

"I am going to ask something of you, Doctor, something that may sound strange but you must do it all the same."

"Ooh, like a game? I like games" he smiled like a child but Vastra continued as though he hadn't spoken.

"I will ask you a question and when I do I want you to answer me with a single word. It is very important that you only use one word, do you understand me? I will not trust you if you use any more." The Doctor nodded but he said no more. Vastra thought for a moment. She was trying to find a question that would ascertain if this Doctor could be trusted as quickly as possible - she was becoming lethargic having not fed in such a long time and she feared that if she did not eat soon she would attack the one person who could possibly help her. Nodding slowly to herself she looked up at the man once more.

"I know no one on this planet. I have nowhere to go and no way of knowing how to live in a society that I can only assume is far different from my own. So all I want to know is why I should trust you. You could be anyone, planning on doing anything with me. If I am to trust you then I need some sort of reason to do so. What possible reason could there be for there to be trust between you and I?"

The Doctor smiled, at first to himself and then at the Silurian woman before him. He locked his eyes on hers and parted his lips slightly. Vastra prayed that his answer would be good. That he would be someone she could trust. The thought of remaining in a world of apes with no one to trust terrified her beyond belief and with her family gone it seemed this Time Lord with eyes older than his face was her only hope.

"Understanding".


	3. When Darkness Falls

**Note: **Wow I am on a roll with this story, I'm normally never this fast with updates! Okay, I won't take up too much of your time, I only want to say thank you to everyone who has read so far and please keep reading. I'm hoping to turn this into something that Vastra/Jenny shippers will really love as I personally often find myself disappointed when reading fanfictions for this pairing (no offense intended to anyone whose work I may have read, I'm just very particular when it comes to my favourite pairings). Reviews would be very much appreciated if you think there's anything I could improve/ add in to make this even better (or if you just want to make me smile and tell me something you think I've done well).

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

**Warning:** This chapter contains a fairly vivid description of a corpse and some violence / violent imagery - please don't read if you think this could distress you in any way!

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It had been yet another full day of hard work in the cold for Jenny and still she was being passed by as though she were a ghost more often than not. She was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with her. In the last seven years of her employment there had not been a single day when Jenny had sold such a small amount of matches but for some reason the past few months had proved to be a hard time in her profession. Maybe she was getting too old for her job. She remembered her father saying when she started out that she would have no problem selling matches as the upper classes always took pity on pretty little poor girls like her, but she wasn't so little any more. Maybe people were only interested in helping the poor when it was a child they believed they were helping.

As she once again attempted and failed to make a sale Jenny sighed and decided that it was about time for her to give up. She had kept working for at least three hours longer than she usually would by that point in some vain hope that business might pick up if she carried on, but as the prospects of making a sale became less and less likely and the skies grew darker it occurred to her that perhaps continuing to work hadn't been such a good idea. Jenny didn't live in the safest of places (unfortunately safety, as well as everything else in London, seemed to be given only to those who could afford it) and she still had to walk a fair way to reach her home. She knew that any light that remained would be long gone by the time she did get home and the thought of what might happen in the absence of light was enough to send a faint shiver down her spine.

As Jenny began to make her way home she tried to keep her mind from the horrible images that seemed to spring up with the prospect of all of everything that could happen to her but she just couldn't seem to rid herself of the fears. She knew girls who had gone missing because they were out after dark. She had even had a friend named Lucy who had been running late after work one day and had been set upon as she returned home. Jenny shuddered at the memory; she had been the one who had found Lucy's body the next morning, thrown carelessly into the gutter outside some of the poorest excuses for houses in all of London. She could still see the image clearly in her mind. Lucy had been a pretty girl but you wouldn't have guessed it at the sight of her corpse. She had been covered in bruises and cuts, her pretty blonde curls were knotted and matted with blood and it seemed that one of her eyes had gone missing altogether (Jenny thought she had seen a stray dog chewing on it a few feet from the body but she had convinced herself that the dog had just found a mouse or a twig as opposed to ripping Lucy's eye from her skull). The body had been bent at an odd angle with the arms tied behind the torso and the legs splayed out as though Lucy had been running when she dropped dead. The most horrifying part for Jenny though was the state of her friend's legs. Lucy's skirt had been hitched up around her hips and her stockings torn to shreds, removing any modesty she may have had left in death. There were deep gashes along her thighs that Jenny thought looked as though a rabid animal may have inflicted on her but the blood clotted high up between Lucy's legs suggested something else entirely...

Everything was quiet and the sky was beginning to turn from dark grey to a murky black. Jenny couldn't keep thinking like this. Yes there were dangers on these streets but that didn't mean that she would end up like Lucy. For one thing she was a lot tougher than pretty and angelic little Lucy ever had been, and besides, she had fought with the boys from next door so often as a child that she was sure she could at least hold her own if she had to defend herself. She shook her head as she walked and clutched her box of matches and her purse closer to her chest. Working late really wasn't the smartest idea she'd ever had. It was all very well and good telling herself that she could fight back if anything happened but could she really do it?

Something crashed loudly behind her and Jenny immediately spun around in terror, not entirely sure what she expected to see. A mangy looking cat scampered from behind a pile of rubbish and crossed to the other side of the road where it took shelter in a doorway. She had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself, noticing her heart seemed to be pounding at a mile a minute. In her mind she was berating herself continuously 'come on Jenny, you need to calm down'. She had worked herself up too much. She had been thinking about Lucy and now she was even scared of a poor little, half starved cat. She closed her eyes tightly trying to put everything into perspective. "You can do this" she muttered to herself.

"Do what?" Jenny felt every muscle in her body tense up as the voice echoed around the empty street. She was too afraid to open her eyes or move a single muscle. She could feel her grip tightening further on her purse and match box and she was almost trembling with fear. "I said, do what?" The voice was male, low and raspy with a slight growl to it. Jenny could feel someone behind her, a man, and he was far too close for comfort.

Warily Jenny forced herself to open her eyes. In front of her she could see nothing but the street that the cat had just run across but she could still feel the man behind her. His hot breath was on the back of her neck and the stench of smoke, alcohol and sweat exuding from him made her gag. She felt a large hand grasp her shoulder and before she knew what was happening the man had spun her around so that they were almost face to face, his own just an inch higher than hers. He was a strongly built man with dark grimy hair and a wax like complexion. Jenny noticed that behind him five other big bruisers were stood in a semi-circle as though they had been placed on a stage for the opening night of a show. It would have been comical if Jenny had not been frightened for her own safety. She was visibly shaking and she knew that the men could see it. The one who had turned her around was smirking venomously at her and she could almost see the blood lust in his eyes.

"So, what's a pretty little thing like you doin' out in the dark all alone miss?" he drawled, taking the liberty of running a grubby finger along her jaw line to hook under her chin. He forced her face up so that he was staring straight into her eyes and the shock of it made her drop her matches, spilling them all over the ground between herself and the man who she assumed was the leader of the gang. She could hear the men around him chuckling under their breaths and she tried to pull herself up to her full height, determined that if this was the end then she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Jus' on my way 'ome" she answered him matter-of-factly, forcing herself to glare defiantly into his eyes that were so dark that she could barely distinguish the pupil from the iris.

"Oh, is that so?" Jenny could have sworn he was getting closer to her with every second but she didn't see how it was remotely possible. He had been close enough for her to feel his breath and smell his revolting odour before he had even turned her around, how could he get any closer without becoming a part of her?

"Yes." She heard her voice falter slightly as she tried to keep up the act of bravery, cursing herself silently for being such a coward. "I jus' finished work for the day you see an' I was on my way 'ome to 'elp my mother with the dinner"

"d'you 'ear that?" a voice asked from behind her and Jenny realised that the other men had gradually edged their way around to circle her while she had been focused on maintaining her mask of bravery. "Little missy 'ere was on 'er way 'ome to 'elp mummy with the dinner" The men chuckled again and Jenny felt heat rush up into her face. She hadn't realised how childish she had sounded until the man had repeated her words back to her.

"Oh look," said another just next to the leader, "now she's gettin' all shy. You can see it in 'er face."

"Enough!" snapped the leader and the others fell silent immediately. "You won't be goin' 'ome tonight miss... or any other night for that matter, once we've finished with you." The men were closing in now, some pulling out knives, others grabbing hold of her by her skirt and her arms. Behind her one of the men got hold of her hair and tugged it so violently that the pins holding it in place fell to the ground allowing him to roughly yank back the silky dark tresses. 'This is it' Jenny thought to herself 'goodbye life'. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the blows and violations to start but for some reason they didn't.

The street was filled with a strange noise somewhere between a howl and something unearthly that Jenny couldn't explain. The hands that had been grasping her before fell away and she collapsed down onto the floor amongst her spilled matches, like a puppet cut from her strings. She opened her eyes and looked up. The men were still crowded around her but they no longer seemed at all interested in what they had been planning to do. Each man was staring transfixed at the same point but for the life of her Jenny could not understand what had appeared to save her from her fate. She scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could just in time to catch a glimpse of something odd that had not been there a minute ago. Over the shoulder of the leader Jenny could see what looked like a large wooden box in the middle of the street, looming above herself and the men with a light on top that shone blue light over every surface surrounding it.

"What the bloody..." The leader of the group of men staggered forwards, looking at the box closely. With his body out of the way Jenny could just make out the words 'Police Box' written neatly on the front (luckily her mother had taught her basic reading skills as a child although she still wasn't very comfortable with the whole concept). When had the police begun using boxes? And how had they made it appear out of nowhere. As if the sudden appearance of the box wasn't enough, in another second a door on the front of the box opened and out came a rather awkward and funny looking man with floppy hair, a strange looking suit and a bow tie - it was far from the police uniform Jenny was accustomed to seeing.

"Ah," he said, finding himself face to face with the leader of the group, "right then, what's going on here?" Somehow as the strange man began to speak the men around Jenny seemed to come back to their senses. Jenny was just about to make a run for it as the man behind her once more got a firm grip on her hair and a few of the others grouped tighter around her. With the circle once again intact (minus the leader) Jenny's vision was cut off but she could still hear the man and the leader speaking.

"What business is it of yours" the leader grunted. Jenny could just imagine him closing in on the strange looking man, trying to intimidate him.

"Well, probably none, but then again I don't like the look of your group of men over there. Look like they're up to no good that lot. What's with the tight group? What are you all hiding?" Jenny wanted to cry out, to make this newcomer notice her. Maybe he could help her. She opened her mouth to scream but a grubby hand forced her into silence and she felt something cold and metal pressed to the side of her head. She could guess what the object was. It was solid and hollow, like the barrel of a hand gun. She had one herself under her floorboards at home, if only she had brought it with her that day she would not be in her current situation.

"Get lost pretty boy, our business aint got nuffin' to do with you!" The leader of the group was losing his patience. It was clear in his voice that this interruption was ruining his plans and he was not happy about it.

"Oh but I think it does. Because I think I know what you're all hiding in the middle of your little group right there and I think, if you know what's good for you, you'll let her go." Jenny's eyes widened in shock. How did the man know she was there? She hadn't had a chance to make a sound and she was certain that he wouldn't be able to see her in the middle of the huddle of bodies.

"An' what is it you're plannin' to do if we don't eh?" The leader's voice was getting lower with every word and Jenny had to strain to hear what he was saying. "You 'ardly look like a threat to us pretty boy, you've not even got a weapon to 'and."

"That's true... well, partly true anyway. I don't believe in violence, never have, too many people get hurt. But that doesn't mean I can't protect that young girl you've all decided to handle like a piece of meat - honestly, didn't your mothers ever teach you how to treat a lady?" The leader of the group chuckled but didn't reply. Jenny began to worry. She wished she could see what was happening. Had the man been hurt? Had he been killed? She tried to pull herself free from her attackers to see but it was no use, there were too many of them holding her tightly in place. The conversation had stopped and Jenny thought it had become too quiet. Even the men holding her captive seemed confused, they were looking around apprehensively as though they expected something to happen.

Before any of them knew what was happening a sharp hiss echoed around the street and a shadow to the right of the group moved. Jenny couldn't see what was happening but her attackers did. Some gripped her tighter, others gave up on holding her altogether and backed off a little. She only wished she could see what they were seeing, and in an instant her wish was granted. With no warning one of the men to her right fell to the floor screaming and clutching his throat. The sounds coming from him were like nothing Jenny had ever heard before and she watched in horror and slight gratitude as he writhed in agony at her feet. By this point most of the men had released their grips on her and she attempted to jump over the man at her feet but was pulled back by the strong hand still clutching her hair. It seemed that one of the attackers still wasn't ready to give up. As the others began to back away, their eyes fixed on their companion still howling on the floor, the man behind Jenny removed his hand from her hair, clamping his arm tightly around her throat and pressing the gun harder against her skull. It was strange, she had almost forgotten about the weapon he was holding until that point but as he put more pressure on it she felt as though there would be a permanent dent in her head from the strength with which he pressed the metal against her.

"Show yourself!" He yelled, his voice shaking. "Show yourself or I'll shoot her!" He was afraid but somehow Jenny no longer felt any fear. She wasn't alone anymore and for some reason the strange man and his invisible accomplice gave her the strength to do something she would never have dared do before. Without thinking about what she was doing Jenny threw her head back hard, hearing a loud crack as her skull made contact with her captor's nose and he howled in pain, loosening his grip on her for long enough to allow her to embed her elbow under his ribs and force him to release her from his hold.

After that Jenny wasn't sure what happened exactly. Everything became a blur. She vaguely recalled the strange man in the suit grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her down a side street. He checked her over to make sure she wasn't hurt and then disappeared back into the main street. She thought she could remember hearing screaming, a lot of screaming, and at one point she could remember peering around the corner only to find that her attackers were all lying dead in the street, a tall figure in a black cloak that coved their entire body stood over them with the strange man only a few feet away. That was when Jenny's memories stopped. Everything after that was blank until she found herself sat in an extremely expensive looking room with a roaring fire by her side and the strange man sat opposite her.


	4. A New Arrangement

**Note: **Okay, it's official, I don't think I'm capable of stopping myself from writing this fic, it's actually becoming an addiction! I am supposed to be doing Uni work today but all I want to do is sit and write another chapter for this. God damn it guys, I think I need help! Maybe expect another chapter to appear before the day is over because I'm pretty sure I'll have finished another one before I go to bed tonight... enjoy!

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

~.~.~.~.~.~

Jenny's eyes were fixed on the fire. She had been staring into the flames for a good few hours now and the Doctor, sat opposite her, was beginning to worry that the shock of everything that had happened that evening had made the girl incapable of speech altogether. He had tried to get her to speak to him back on the street, to tell him where she lived so that he could take her home, but she just stared at him, a look of pure shock on her pretty face. Considering the circumstances he thought introducing the TARDIS to all of the commotion was probably not the best idea so he had supported the girl (whose name he still didn't know) all the way back to the house on Paternoster Row.

"I'll be right back" he told her, not imagining that she would be ready to talk any time soon, and he stood, crossing the room and letting himself into the greenhouse at the back of the property where the lady of the house was trying to calm herself after all of the excitement.

"Has she said anything yet?" Vastra turned in her chair as he entered, levelling her gaze with the Doctor's. She noticed how sad his eyes seemed and she nodded her head in understanding. "I see," she murmured softly "It's understandable I suppose, most apes are not accustomed to such violence as the girl witnessed tonight. She must be in a great deal of shock."

"Careful Vastra," the Doctor replied, smiling slightly "that almost sounded like you cared about a human's feelings." She gave him a withering look and rolled her eyes. Vastra had begun to learn over the past few months that she had been settling into this new life of hers that the Doctor was very attached to these apes and that he did not agree with her lack of feeling towards them. It was strange to her how he could understand the pain that the apes had caused her so well and yet he could not seem to comprehend how she associated that pain with every member of the human species.

"I did not say I cared. I was simply stating an awareness of how the ape must feel." The Doctor chuckled.

"You know, for someone who doesn't care you did seem to be rather impressed with how she handled herself back there."

"Well, not many apes could have fought back so well in her place, particularly not those as small and weak as the girl is." They heard a cough behind them and both turned abruptly to find Jenny stood in the doorway, looking from one to the other of them with clear intrigue in her eyes. It wasn't until Jenny's eyes stopped to rest on Vastra that the Silurian realised she was not wearing her veil or gloves. She considered attempting to hide herself but, realising that it was too late, she decided (or hoped) that a small smile might lessen the girl's fear of her.

"I... um... where am I?" Jenny stuttered, her eyes not moving from Vastra's face. She didn't seem scared. Vastra looked at the Doctor in shock, not sure how to respond. She had been expecting the ape to scream at the very least, but if anything she seemed more interested in Vastra than afraid of her. The Doctor was equally as shocked for a moment but, quickly recovering himself, he sauntered over to the girl in the doorway.

"This place belongs to my friend here" He indicated to Vastra who nodded in acknowledgement. "Oh, I'm the Doctor by the way, and this is Vastra."

"Jenny... Jenny Flint" the girl attempted a small smile but she was still a little unsure of how to react in these new surroundings.

"Jenny! Finally, a name to the face, it's nice to meet you Jenny. You had us worried for a while there, we weren't sure if you'd been scared out of speaking." The Doctor steered her over to a seat just across from Vastra and let himself fall into another seat by the Silurian's side. "So," he said, a reassuring smile on his face "You must have a lot of questions, we'd be happy to answer them for you."

Once again Jenny allowed herself to look between the two strangers who had saved her, her eyes flicking from one to the other. She was still trying to get her head around everything that had happened, but the one thing she wanted to understand more than anything was how she had been so lucky as to be saved at just the right moment.

"Who are you both...?" The Doctor frowned. He was sure he had already introduced them both to this girl. Had she developed memory loss in the time that she had been thinking things through? Or had it been before then? He opened his mouth to reintroduce them but Vastra cut him off.

"We help people, those in danger and in need of assistance." Her eyes were locked on the girl as she spoke, surveying her properly for the first time. Out in the street Vastra had barely had time to do more than kill, and in all honesty her mind had been so set on the task at hand that she hadn't considered the need to know who it was that she was saving. Now, as she surveyed the ape she was almost glad that they had been there to save her. Jenny was pretty for an ape, if a little grubby and underweight. Vastra thought it would have been a shame if she had become a corpse, a waste of very rare human genetics holding something more than other apes seemed to possess.

"Well I figured that much for myself ma'am... what I meant was... what are you?"

"What are we?" The scales over Vastra's right eye lifted slightly and Jenny assumed that it must be the equivalent of someone raising their eyebrow. She felt the heat rise into her face as her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. She hadn't meant to be rude, she just wanted to learn more. This strange man with his magic blue box and his friend who seemed to be part animal and part human, they were something new to her. Jenny had always had a fascination with foreign lands but this was something else entirely.

"Well," she started, trying not to let her blush show too much for fear of being judged as weak "you're 'ardly normal are you? 'im with that box of 'is that appears out o' nowhere an' you with your..." she trailed off towards the end and blushed a deeper red. How could she make reference to the woman's clear differences without offending her? Vastra was still watching Jenny very closely. She seemed to be carefully studying every movement of her features as though she were attempting to learn something from the girl without using words. There was something tense about the woman, Jenny thought. It seemed like she wasn't comfortable even in her own home. She sat too straight and she watched those around her too closely. It made Jenny a little uncomfortable.

The room had fallen into silence. Jenny expected that the woman was waiting for her to finish her sentence but she couldn't find a way to do so that she thought would not offend her hostess who had so kindly allowed a poor girl into her home. She kept her eyes locked on Vastra's, not wanting to look away and hint that she had no idea how to properly phrase what she wanted to say. Jenny noticed that she had pretty eyes, a light, shining blue that stood out greatly in contrast with the emerald scales that covered her face and neck.

"My what?" Vastra asked after a few moments of silence that had felt like an eternity.

"Your... uniqueness." Jenny saw Vastra flinch slightly and she couldn't look the woman in the eye any more. She was so afraid that she may have caused offense that she dropped her gaze to the floor immediately and muttered, "I'm sorry... that was the wrong way to put it, what I meant was..."

"I know what you meant." Jenny looked up at Vastra slowly. The woman's eyes still hadn't left her and Jenny wondered what she was thinking. "It's okay Miss Flint, I know that I look rather different from what you are accustomed to. I am a Silurian. My species lived long before you apes were advanced enough to control this world, at the dawn of time we inhabited the Earth and hunted your species for sport. Millennia ago we went into hibernation under the earth as human kind grew stronger and began to learn how to live as intellectual beings on this planet; the rest of my kind are still in this state of hibernation somewhere deep beneath our very feet."

Throughout her explanation Vastra had studied Jenny's expressions closely and she was surprised to find that the girl had been absorbing every word that she spoke as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world. This ape continued to surprise her. Where Vastra expected to observe one emotion in Jenny's face there would be another as clear as day. The ape's reactions to everything she was being told were so out of sync with how any other human would react that Vastra was having difficulty processing the situation. She was prepared for fear, misunderstanding, screaming and running and possibly even attempts on her life but she was not prepared for a human sat before her, listening intently and actually taking the time to understand her. The Doctor hadn't prepared Vastra for this. In the past months he had spent time teaching her how to deal with normal human reactions to a creature such as herself in case anyone were to see her true nature by mistake, but he had not taught her how to react to such acceptance. Speechless, the Silurian looked to the Doctor, wordlessly begging him to explain his own differences so that she would have time to process this new and different ape.

"Oh!" The Doctor seemed to snap out of the trance he had fallen into while watching the two women and the oddly frozen look that had been on his face melted away to a smile. "Right, my turn. I'm a Time Lord Jenny. Not from this planet actually, my home planet is a long way away. I'm not as interesting as Vastra here, I just fly around in my TARDIS - the blue box you mentioned. I visit different planets and different times and well basically try to help people who need it."

"Right," Jenny said, frowning slightly as she processed what she had just heard "so neither o' you are 'uman, and you" she looked at the Doctor "that box o' yours is what found me in trouble?"

"Well, in a way I suppose. More often than not I just stumble upon people who need help by chance but I suppose the TARDIS does have a bit to do with it, yes."

"And you," Jenny turned to Vastra who was still having difficulty understanding what was going on, "you killed all them men who were about to..."

"Yes." Vastra cut her off abruptly, not wanting to complicate things further with the possibilities of what could have happened to the girl had she and the Doctor not been there. Jenny nodded slowly. She thought she was at least beginning to understand what was going on, even if there were still a few blanks to be filled in. There were still so many questions that she wanted to ask but as she looked through the glass walls of the greenhouse it began to dawn on her how late it had got and how long it had been since she should have been home. If the sky was anything to go by then the sun was about to rise. A new day was beginning and Jenny hadn't even been to bed yet, and what about her work? The matches she had dropped were still scattered along a street somewhere, they would be useless now. Realising this Jenny's eyes widened and she stood up abruptly.

"I 'ave to go." She announced looking around to find where she had left her purse.

"Let me take you home," the Doctor offered, standing too just as Jenny located her purse "you must be exhausted. It's late and you've had a long day, all of this can't be helping."

"'ome? Are you mad? I 'aven't got time to go 'ome, I need to be back on the street working any minute an' I don't 'ave any matches to sell after what 'appened last night!" Suddenly it dawned on Jenny what the loss of those matches meant and she wobbled unsteadily on her feet as though she may faint. "Oh no..." she whispered, her eye line dropping to the floor. "My wages... I'll not get paid for months after losin' all them matches... 'ow are we supposed to eat?!" The Doctor and Vastra both regarded her with shock. Neither seemed to have the faintest idea what she was going on about. As she looked at both of their blank expressions Jenny realised that she would have to explain things more simply if she were to make either of them understand how bad this was for her. "I'm a match girl." she started simply but it still didn't seem to get through to the pair in front of her. "I sell matches to make money. I know that mus' be somethin' you're not used to, what with your bein' so different an' livin' in a place like this." She looked around the greenhouse and back into the large furnished room she had been in before. This really was worlds away from the life Jenny was born into.

"You mean to say that you do not even have enough money to feed yourself?" Vastra asked, a look of disapproval on her face. Clearly Jenny was going to have to explain this better to get any sympathy from her new acquaintance.

"I can't afford to feed myself, my parents or my little brother. An' my employer won't pay me for months once I tell 'im what 'appened to the matches I was supposed to sell." Jenny could feel tears welling up in her eyes and she had to fight to bite them back as it all became too much for her. "It's all very good for people like you who 'ave money to burn ma'am but some of us 'ave to work ourselves near to death jus' to feed our families for a week"

"So why don't you work here?" Vastra and Jenny both turned to look at the Doctor in surprise.

"Excuse me?" Vastra asked frowning slightly as the Doctor smiled at her.

"You heard me Vastra, why don't you give Jenny a job here, working for you? You've been saying yourself for weeks how lonely you get when I have to pop off and you're always complaining that in your time you had humans to clean and prepare meals for you. Jenny could be your maid. She could do everything humans used to do for you and act as a companion when I can't be here to keep you company." Vastra continued to scowl at the man who had been helping her since she had been awoken from hibernation. Part of her hated him for even suggesting such a thing; he knew how she felt about the apes, why would he suggest that she take this one in and pay it for its efforts. She wanted to set him straight but she was sure that anything she said would go against what the Doctor had taught her about how not to offend humans.

"May I have a word with you in private?" She hissed, dangerously close to losing her composure.

"Is there a problem Vastra?" She stiffened, staring at the Doctor, realising that he was going to make her say what she had to say here in front of the girl if she wanted to say it at all. She cursed the Time Lord over and over again in her head, why did he have to be so difficult. Leaning closer to him, she dropped her voice to a low hiss in the hope that the girl would not hear her so clearly.

"You know how I feel about the apes Doctor, I do not want one living in my home and preparing my meals. It is her kind who killed my sisters! Why should I trust that she would not find some way to kill me?" The Doctor gave his Silurian friend a warning look. He had been sure that she was beginning to come around to the human species as a whole. Jenny in particular had seemed to gain a certain level of empathy from Vastra that the Doctor thought he would never see her express. He was sure that if any human could change Vastra's mind about the species, Jenny was that human.

Once again a small cough from Jenny cut the pair off and for the first time the pair found that the human girl seemed to entirely understand what was going on. Her eyes held a mix of emotions from annoyance to anger, hopelessness and some sadness. Vastra was shocked that such a primitive creature could feel so much in one moment.

"She doesn't want me 'ere does she?" Jenny asked simply, nodding to Vastra. "What is it? Now that 'uman kind are more advanced than they were in your time you think that we've automatically all become a threat to you?"

"Jenny, Vastra has..." Jenny held up a hand cutting the Doctor off mid-sentence. Vastra's frown deepened as the man fell into silence. No matter how many times she herself had tried to interrupt the Doctor when he was speaking she had never managed it, but this girl commanded his silence with a single movement of her delicate, fleshy little hand. How did she do that so well.

"She can speak for 'erself." Jenny stated, turning her gaze on Vastra, locking her eyes on the Silurian's own. "Well? That's what you believe isn't it? That we would all kill you given 'alf the chance? You're scared I'd try an' murder you in your sleep or somethin' like that." Vastra stared at her. Had she really hurt the girl so much through her simple refusal to employ her? Honestly, Vastra had never known that apes could be so feeling. It was so different from what she had imagined the men who had murdered her sisters had been capable of feeling.

"Well," she muttered "from what I have seen of your species it does seem to be likely"

"An' from what you've seen o' me in particular?" Jenny tried to avoid smirking at the frozen look of shock on Vastra's face. She was sure that the other woman had not been expecting her to use herself as an argument in defence of her species. Vastra barely seemed capable of speech, so Jenny continued. "I 'aven't shown any intent to 'arm you 'ave I? And I am certainly not afraid o' you. So why would you think so badly o' me?" The Doctor laughed a little and looked at the woman he had been tutoring as of late. It was the first time he had seen her without a single bad word to say about a human. He had been right about Jenny, for some reason she got through to Vastra on a level he hadn't even been capable of.

"Well Vastra, I think our friend Jenny here has made her point quite nicely, don't you?"

"Quite" the Silurian muttered, averting her eyes from them both. "Even so, there are things she must learn before she can work in this house, things she must understand." She looked back at Jenny curiously, Jenny almost felt as though she was looking right through her. "And there are things I must learn about her."

"Right then, in that case I'll leave you ladies to it."


	5. Where We Begin

For a while after the Doctor left Vastra and Jenny sat in silence opposite one another. Jenny was carefully watching Vastra, waiting for her to say something, but the reptilian woman avoided her new maid's eyes as best she could. Jenny knew that in higher society it was customary for a woman of wealth to commence the conversation when speaking to someone of a lower class, but she wasn't sure if that rule would apply to the society Vastra had been a part of. Even so, she waited and waited and it wasn't until the sun was rising higher into the sky that Vastra finally made eye contact with Jenny once more.

"Are we going to sit here in silence for the rest of the day?" She murmured, for the first time seeming really uncomfortable instead of just up tight.

"I don't know ma'am," Jenny answered softly "that's entirely for you to choose. I'll leave if you really don't want me 'ere, I wouldn't want to be a burden... I'm sure I'd be fine in my old job, an' my family would understand why my wages would get cut." She felt herself shaking a little as the last words passed her lips but she refused to look away from Vastra in case her prospective mistress took the opportunity to look away herself. Somewhere in the back of her mind Jenny was hoping that Vastra would let her stay. She'd always wanted to work in service, it was so much safer than her current job and it paid better as well. Her family could eat a proper meal at least once a day if she were to be employed as a maid in this house, especially since it seemed that Jenny would be the only person doing a job which really needed at least three other pairs of hands.

Vastra was regretting ever listening to the Doctor and agreeing to help the apes in the first place. At first it had seemed like a reasonable idea, it would be something to keep her occupied and every once in a while she would still get to have ape flesh for her dinner, even if she did have to live with knowing that the flesh she was consuming was the flesh of a criminal. When she had agreed to it, however, she had not foreseen the man forcing one of the apes on her as... what? Her pet? Her servant? He'd called the girl her 'companion' but that word could mean anything. What was she supposed to do with a human in the house? She wasn't comfortable there alone, let alone with an ape sneaking around and becoming a part of her life. How could the Doctor do this to her?

Of course, Jenny had said she would leave if Vastra asked, but Vastra couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the girl if she did send her away. Would she be okay? What if she lost too much money because of what happened? The girl was so small as it was, surely any further lack of food would kill her altogether. Internally Vastra growled at herself, what was going on in her head? The Doctor was right, it was almost as if she was beginning to care for the apes, or at least the one sat before her at that moment.

"You should stay" she said finally, smiling ever so slightly as she saw a light spring into Jenny's eyes that she hadn't seen in the whole time they had been speaking. "Only to keep the Doctor happy you understand... he would be most displeased with me if I were to tell him I had sent you away after everything. Besides, I suppose a little company wouldn't go amiss." Jenny nodded firmly, happy to accept any reasoning Vastra wanted to give as long as it meant that her days as a match girl were over. "I should warn you though Miss Flint, I'm not very easy to live with. I almost always spend the first half of my nights out working, the cover of darkness makes my job much simpler, and what I do during that time is not always safe."

"So you need someone to take care o' you once you get 'ome. I'm used to a lack o' sleep ma'am, stayin' up 'alf the night would be no 'ardship for me."

"And if I were to return home injured?" Vastra couldn't help but smirk to herself at how eager the young girl seemed to be to take the job.

"I'm from the wrong end o' town miss, I've done my fair share of cleanin' wounds an' all that in my time" The Silurian nodded in approval and continued to explain the living situation to Jenny.

"There's also the issue of my food, you cannot be squeamish, I'm afraid I only eat raw meat and drink blood but don't worry about how you should get hold of those things, the Doctor made a deal with the local butcher for me when moved into this house." Jenny nodded yet again, taking mental notes as Vastra spoke in the hope that she wouldn't forget anything. "Oh, and the winter months can be a difficult time for me. As my appearance suggests I am a reptilian and as such I need heat to live. Unfortunately cold blood and your winter months do not mix agreeably for me and I can get rather sharp tongued. I've been awfully hard on the Doctor as of late because of it but I'm afraid the only way to make me agreeable at such times is to keep the house and myself as warm as you possibly can." The list of things that Jenny had to remember seemed fairly small although she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about living with a dangerous creature who got moody when the temperature dropped too low, she would definitely have to make the heat of the house her top priority.

"Is there anythin' else ma'am?"

"Yes, just one more thing. You will need to wake me in the mornings or I shall never wake up particularly when it's cold, my body automatically goes into hibernation when placed in lower temperatures." The girl nodded her understanding. "I should warn you though, you will have to be careful about it. The last time I was woken up suddenly a group of apes tried to kill me, it would be a pity if anything were to happen by accident if I believed myself to be under attack." Vastra's expression was serious and all of a sudden Jenny didn't feel quite so sure that she wanted this job after all. Her mistress must have sensed her discomfort because she allowed herself a small smile in attempt to reassure the girl. "Don't worry, as long as you are gentle with me I will not harm you. Most apes make the mistake of being too rough, but I don't believe you are like most apes.

"Why do you call us that?" Jenny tried not to frown but since first meeting Vastra she had heard the word ape used to refer to human beings more times than she had heard it used in her entire life. She had tried not to be offended at first but the Silurian's use of the word was becoming excessive and there was a certain tone that she used that sounded to Jenny as though Vastra believed humans to be dirty or less worthy of being addressed by their actual species. Vastra herself was a little taken aback by the question and it took her a few minutes to collect her thoughts. She had never really considered why she referred to the humans as apes before, it had just always been her way. As a child her mother had called the humans apes and so she had mimicked it as all children do when learning about the world around them.

"What, apes?" She asked, not entirely sure how to explain it to the girl so that she would understand. "I suppose it's because the ape is the animal from which you are descended. To me all humans are apes still, although I must admit you are much more advanced than the apes I am used to."

"Forgive me, ma'am, but I still don't think that makes it right. I mean, 'ow would you like it if I were to call you a Lizard?"

"I would simply correct you on your lack of knowledge."

"An' that's exactly what I've jus' done." Vastra had never realised how quickly human emotions could change. Only moments ago Jenny had been grateful to her for supplying her with work but now it felt as though the girl would walk out at any minute in a state of pure indignation. It appeared this was the first thing Vastra would have to learn about her maid, her feelings were easily hurt and Vastra would have to be careful how she phrased things when speaking with the girl.

Gradually the conversation dropped into silence once more and Jenny wondered if it might be best for her to suggest she return home and explain matters to her family. In all of the commotion she seemed to have forgotten about her parents and brother and only at that point did it occur to her that they would probably be worried about her. She hadn't returned last night and still she was sat in Vastra's greenhouse in silence, surrounded by plants and watching her new employer as though she had nothing else to be doing with her time. She was just about to speak when Vastra cut her off abruptly (something Jenny noticed the woman did quite often although Vastra didn't seem to realise it herself).

"How old are you Jenny?" The girl frowned and Vastra began to worry that she may have said something wrong. Although she had been trying her best to learn the norms of conversational patterns in the present day it was proving to be more difficult than she had first anticipated and when practicing with the Doctor she often found herself being berated for asking inappropriate questions.

"I'm seventeen," Jenny responded a little apprehensively "but perhaps it would be better if you didn't go around asking people's ages if you don't mind me sayin' ma'am, most women don't appreciate it, particularly when they barely know the person askin'." Jenny wasn't sure but she could have sworn that the scales covering Vastra's cheeks had gone a few shades darker. Was that the Silurian version of blushing? Until that point it hadn't occurred to Jenny that Vastra may not know much about normal interaction but if Vastra was blushing then maybe she really hadn't known that what she had asked was unusual between people who had just met. "I'm sorry," she started softly "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Oh don't... I have to learn these things somehow. Better I learn it from someone who understands why I don't know the correct social conventions than waiting until I ask someone I shouldn't." Although Vastra hated to admit it, maybe the Doctor had been right to suggest the girl stayed. It was lucky that they had found a human who was so understanding of Vastra, and maybe being around Jenny would allow her to learn and adapt to human ways faster and more efficiently.

"Um, ma'am? As much as I'd like to continue with this, an' I do still 'ave some questions, I wonder if I could return 'ome for a short while? I wouldn't ask, only I'm sure my mother must be worryin' about where I am by now."

"Oh, of course... of course" Somehow Vastra had forgotten that the girl had a family at home who probably hadn't seen her for at least twenty-four hours. She resolved that while the girl was away from the house she would prepare a room for her. Then another thought crossed her mind, would Jenny be safe walking all the way back to that awful part of London that they had been in the night before alone? It certainly hadn't seemed to be the sort of place that a seventeen year old girl should be wondering around in by herself. "Will you be okay getting home by yourself... will you be safe?" Vastra sounded far more concerned than she had meant to and once again she found herself cursing internally. Why was she investing so much emotion in this girl? She was no different from any other human as far as Vastra could tell, with the exception of her capability for compassion, her refusal to judge Vastra for her differences and her exceptional looks that for some reason the Silurian simply couldn't stop noticing. Thinking about it that way Vastra realised that in reality Jenny was very different to any human she'd ever met before.

Jenny was regarding Vastra with a strange look in her eyes, something distant and confused hidden in the darkness of them, but Vastra also noticed how the corners of the girl's lips turned up slightly and her cheeks flushed a gentle shade of pink. Jenny stood form her seat and made sure her purse was in her possession before wrapping her tattered shawl around her shoulders loosely. She turned back to Vastra once she had readied herself for the outside, still with that strange look in her eyes.

"I'll be fine," she reassured her mistress, pulling her shawl tighter around her. "I've walked them streets a thousand times before and never 'ad a problem until last night."

"But there was the problem last night Miss Flint, and what's to say that won't happen again?" Jenny giggled slightly and shook her head almost in disbelief.

"You know, for someone who's only known me a few hours ma'am you seem to care an awful lot about my wellbein'," once again the shade of Vastra's scales darkened and Jenny smiled softly at her clear embarrassment "I'm touched by your concern, but I promise, I'll be okay." The Silurian nodded and led Jenny back inside and through the house until they reached the front door. "I'll be back in an hour or two," Jenny assured her "jus' long enough to explain everythin' to my mother an' pack my things. If I'm not back by dark you 'ave my permission to come an' find me" she smirked cheekily and Vastra snorted despite her attempts to hold back the small laugh.

Vastra watched from the window until the girl was out of sight, then proceeded to decide which room would be most suitable for her new 'companion' as the Doctor had so eloquently put it. She tried her best to reassure herself that it was normal for an employer to worry about the safety of their employees for fear of losing their service but somewhere in the back of Vastra's mind another reason for her worries had sprung up - she just wasn't sure how accurate her suspicions could be until she had grown to know Jenny a little better.


	6. Trust

**Note: **Just a quick note to say thank you to all those that have been reading so far, it's making me very happy looking at my stats and seeing just how many people have read so far. I would also like to say an especially big thank you to the reader who messaged me anonymously on Tumblr earlier to tell me how much they were enjoying this fic, you made my day darling and I'm very grateful! I hope this chapter will continue to please you all and as always reviews are more than welcome. Also, if anyone would like to follow me on Tumblr or message me there as an alternative to reviewing I will post a link below. Enjoy my loves.

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

~.~.~.~.~.~

Walking around Vastra's home Jenny found herself mesmerised by the beauty and grandeur of it all. She had already been living and working in the house for a few weeks but still she couldn't quite believe that she was really living in this world that was so far from the one she had known all of her life. There were no broken windows or pieces of furniture that were so badly rotted that you were afraid to put even the slightest weight on them. Every room was ornately decorated with beautiful wallpapers and carefully polished wood floors, rugs of expensive materials spread along the wood for comfort. The furniture was of the highest quality and there seemed to be plants and flowers sat in pots on every free surface which Jenny supposed must have been to make Vastra feel more at home.

It was a rare occurrence for Jenny to see Vastra during the day as her mistress always seemed to be locked away in her study or out of the house doing one thing or another but in the evenings it had become a regular occurrence for the pair to sit by the fire together until Vastra went out to work. Jenny had tried to tell her employer that usually in service jobs the employee would not be permitted to sit in the main house let alone to spend their evenings in the company of their employer but Vastra had insisted that she wanted the girl to stay with her in the evenings so that they could get to know one another better. So far, however, Jenny had avoided conversation about herself, not wanting Vastra to judge her on her past and preferring to hear about her mistress and her life before she had been awoken from hibernation. Vastra told Jenny such incredible stories about the Earth when it had been inhabited by her people. She said that there had been greenery everywhere, plants and flowers beyond anything Jenny could possibly imagine. She told the maid about how the sun had been closer to the planet then and how there had been no winter, only the warmth of summer for the whole year around. The detail with which Vastra told her stories was amazing and Jenny almost felt as though she had been to that world herself despite it having been gone for millions of years.

One evening as Vastra had just finished telling Jenny about her favourite river that she used to go to when she was a child and needed to get away from her life and training as a warrior for a while the pair fell into a not too uncomfortable silence. For a short while the only sound in the sitting room was the crackling of the fire as the flames slowly ate away at the wood that fuelled it, consuming it bit by bit as the seconds ticked past. As much as Vastra enjoyed re-living her past and the memories from when her family were still alive and with her she was beginning to grow tired of hearing about herself all of the time. Each night when she and Jenny settled themselves in their seats by the fire, with Jenny on the seat to the right of the fire and Vastra on the seat to the left, she would attempt to get the girl to talk about herself and her own life. She asked questions about Jenny's family, the house she grew up in, the friends she had had when she was young, but somehow the maid always seemed to find a way to brush over her own stories and turn the conversation back to Vastra. It was as though she didn't want Vastra to get to know her. On occasion Vastra wondered if perhaps the girl was hiding something, but if she was then what was she hiding? And why did she feel the need to hide it?

"Jenny?" The girl looked up from the dress that she was attempting to fix after Vastra had managed to rip the sleeve off in a fight with a murderer the night before. Jenny had been shocked when she had found the damaged dress on her mistress' bedroom floor, Vastra had never been injured or even so much as touched in her line of work in the time Jenny had worked in the house and the maid hadn't thought it possible until the moment she noticed the damaged dress. She raised an eyebrow slightly as she looked at her mistress, her features painted in mild shock. Vastra had never addressed her by her first name before. It was always 'Miss Flint' that she used whenever she wanted to get Jenny's attention. The unexpected use of her first name stunned her into silence as she wondered what was going through her employer's mind. "May I ask you something?"

"O' course ma'am, anythin' you want." Jenny knew that deep down she didn't mean it. She was almost certain that Vastra wanted to ask about her life again and she just didn't feel like she could tell her those things. This whole place and the life Vastra had lead, both in her past and now in their present, was so far from Jenny's life that she was sure that her mistress couldn't possibly understand everything she had been through. She would judge her just as everyone else judged women like her.

"Can I trust you?" Jenny frowned, of all the questions Vastra could have asked that wasn't one that she had been expecting.

"I 'aven't told anyone what you really are yet 'ave I?" She attempted a smile but she was still a little confused. "Don't you think I would 'ave told someone by now if I couldn't be trusted?" Vastra was watching her closely, her blue eyes scanning her maid's face as though there was something in particular she was looking for.

"I didn't mean to cause offense Miss Flint, I only meant... you never want to talk about your past. Whenever I've asked you seem to push my questions aside. I can't help but wonder if there is something you're holding back." Her eyes dropped from Jenny's for a second but the maid continued to look straight at her. Vastra really believed that she had something to hide? Something that would make her untrustworthy? She didn't know why but for some reason it hurt a little that her mistress would think so badly of her. It seemed to Jenny as though Vastra's ability to trust was damaged, she was too suspicious and Jenny was a little afraid of what would happen to her job if Vastra couldn't learn to trust her.

"My past isn't like yours ma'am" Jenny muttered still watching Vastra who kept her eyes averted. "I can't tell you about pretty forests and 'appy times spent with my family because there 'aven't been any. My life's been 'ard. You would think bad o' me if I told you some o' the things I've 'ad to do to stay alive, an' I don't want you to think bad o' me..."

"You know, not all of my life has been as simple and carefree as the things I have told you about Jenny. I've done things I shouldn't have in the past, to protect myself just as you say you have. What I have told you of myself has all come from my life before this world. Since I was woken here my life seems to have become a great deal harder." A soft hiss reverberated from somewhere deep within Vastra and Jenny felt every muscle in her body tense. The last time she had heard that sound was the night that they had met - the night when the Silurian had killed those men who had attacked her.

Both women fell into silence once more and for the first time Jenny allowed her eyes to drop from Vastra's face. Had she been wrong about Vastra? Would her mistress understand after all?

"I've always lived in the same 'ouse for as long as I can remember, not far from where you an' the Doctor rescued me that night." Jenny's voice was barely a whisper. She'd never told anyone about her life before and there was something deep within her that screamed at her to stop. It didn't feel right, but she was going to tell Vastra everything if only to get her new employer to trust her. "It's small, an' old. My family share it with another family, it's the only way any of us can afford a roof over our 'eads." Vastra was looking at her as she spoke, wondering what she must have said to convince Jenny to open up to her so suddenly. Jenny tried not to let it distract her, instead keeping her eyes on the sewing in her hands. "There's four of us in my family, my parents, me an' my little brother, an' we have the two upstairs rooms in the 'ouse. It's in pretty bad shape, the furniture's old, the windows don't keep out the cold. We can't afford much so we only own basic things." She stopped for a moment, opening up was harder than Jenny had imagined it would be. It might not have been so bad if Vastra's eyes hadn't been fixed on her, but she couldn't seem to escape the gaze no matter how hard she tried to pretend she couldn't feel it going through her. "Growin' up I 'ad a bit of schoolin'. My mother taught me to read as best she could an' I can use money with no problems but other than that I never really took to learnin' all that well. I was always too busy worryin' about gettin' a job an' workin' to 'elp my parents out. I've been workin' since I was seven, always as a match girl. It was easier when I was younger, rich folks are 'appier to give their money to a child than an adult, but recently it got a lot 'arder." Here Jenny stopped. She felt the blood drain from her face and fidgeted nervously with her needle and thread.

"Go on..." Vastra hadn't wanted to speak but the expression on Jenny's face worried her. The maid had gone deadly pale and her lower lip was quivering a little as she tried to collect her thoughts.

"People 'adn't been buyin' matches like they used to an' if I didn't bring 'ome enough money... well, I explained all o' this before you 'ired me. So, on occasion I 'ad to find other ways of gettin' food. Ways I aint proud of."

"Theft?"

"Sometimes... that aint so easy for a full grown woman though, they notice you too easily. Sometimes I 'ad to... well..." Jenny didn't want to say it. Of all things she had done in her life this was the one thing she was sure she would be judged for the most. "Men are easily persuaded as long as you give 'em somethin' in return." Vastra's mouth opened slightly but she didn't know what she could say. If she had thought even for a minute that Jenny had had to compromise herself in such a way she would never have asked her to talk about her past. Vastra seemed to be cursing herself far too often as of late but she continued to make mistakes over and over when it came to her maid and every time she did she regretted ever opening her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in a softer tone than Jenny thought she had ever heard her mistress use before "Jenny if I had known..."

"Don't. Don't say you wouldn't 'ave asked. You were right, 'ow could you trust me with me keepin' my past a secret?" Jenny still couldn't bear to look up at her mistress, the shame was too much for her to handle. Jenny didn't know how but within a moment or so Vastra was stood close in front of her. The Silurian reached out her hand and gently tilted Jenny's head backwards until she could look into the girl's eyes.

"You should not be so hard on yourself for what you did Jenny. You thought of your family before yourself and you did what you believed you had to." The scales of Vastra's fingers were cold against the warm flesh of Jenny's cheek as she held the girl's head in place. Jenny found it strangely comforting and yet she still couldn't hold back the tears brimming in her eyes. Just the memory of the times she had allowed men to manhandle her in order to feed her family made her skin crawl. She wrapped her arms around herself feeling uneasy, as though it were happening all over again. "It's a noble thing to protect one's family Jenny" Vastra could sense her discomfort. She wished she'd never asked her to tell her these things. Despite herself she had developed a certain sense of protectiveness over Jenny and to see her in such discomfort was not a pleasant experience. She lifted the dress Jenny held in her lap away, careful to remove the needle so that the girl would not harm herself when she went back to her sewing. " That's enough work for one night I think."

"But ma'am, you said you needed it for later."

"I know what I said, but that was before I unsettled your feelings. Now please, no arguments." Vastra placed the dress and needle on a table close by and returned to her seat. "You're not the only one who has done things you regret in the aid of your family Jenny. When I was first awoken here I killed needlessly as an act of revenge." The Silurian sighed and turned to watch the fire, flames still crackling in their endless attempts to consume the firewood. "The Doctor found me in a tunnel under the city where the underground was being constructed. The workers there had already woken my sisters before me during their work, it did not take me long to realise what had happened after that. So, as soon as I had the chance I fought back and killed two of them, the others I injured. I would have killed them all had the Doctor not found me first." Vastra wasn't sure if her story would be of any help but she knew she had to try and do what she could to settle her maid's unease. She had been the cause of Jenny's pain and she only wanted to ease it once more.

"Thank you" Jenny had a small, sad smile on her face, her arms still wrapped loosely around herself as a sort of shield, protection from the memories of what she had done.

"I could hardly allow a good person to think badly of themselves. You are a good person Jenny, a caring girl who I do not believe deserves the hardship which you have suffered in your life." Vastra was still looking into the fire and as Jenny watched her she noticed how the light of the flames illuminated the woman's scales so it seemed as though she were glowing with a soft fiery shadow.

"I don't feel like I'm livin' in such 'ardship any more ma'am" she commented and stood from her seat. "Now, I think it's about time for you to get to work. I'd 'ate for you to be late on my account, although I'm not so sure your victims would agree with me. I'll get your cloak ready while you change." With that she left the room quickly, not giving her mistress the chance to argue.


	7. Growing Fondness

**Note: **I have just realised that the link to my Tumblr that I tried to post for you all in the note before my last chapter doesn't seem to have been put within the chapter once it had been posted. I'm assuming that the website won't allow me to post it within the story so for anyone interested I have placed the link on my profile instead, sorry about the confusion. So here's another chapter for you my lovelies and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

~.~.~.~.~.~

It didn't take long for Jenny to properly adapt to her life as a chambermaid, in fact, she found that the structure and organisation of her days made it easier for her to get everything done while still allowing time for her to rest in the evenings. She started her days early at 5:30 in the mornings, washing and dressing herself, then making her way down to the kitchen where she would prepare her own breakfast and eat it before turning her mind to the less pleasant task of preparing breakfast for her mistress. The task required a lot of effort as Jenny had to manoeuvre the animal carcass she would be preparing from the pantry to the table, without getting too much blood on the floors, before setting herself to hacking off a good chunk of meat with as little fat attached as she could possibly manage (Vastra claimed that she was watching her figure but Jenny was sure she really just wanted to make the job a little bit harder for her). At 7 she would go and wake Vastra, opening the curtains for her mistress and giving her her breakfast before going back to the kitchen to clean up. Between 9 and 4 Jenny would spend her time cleaning the house from top to bottom, running errands in town for Vastra and on Mondays she would ensure that the pantry was fully stocked for the week ahead, both with meat and blood for Vastra and other foods for herself. By 4:30 it would be time for Jenny to prepare the pair's evening meals and at 5:30 she would set Vastra's meal on the main table for her before withdrawing to the kitchen to eat her own (On several occasions Vastra had asked the maid to join her but Jenny had flatly refused, claiming that if she were to spend the evening with her mistress then she could not eat her dinner with the woman as well - it just wasn't acceptable as far as Jenny was concerned). By 6 when she had cleaned up from dinner and the house was back in order Jenny would make her way to the sitting room where she would join Vastra by the fire for their evening conversations and at 9 she would send Vastra off to work, sitting and reading by the window at the front of the house until midnight when her mistress would return and immediately take herself off to bed.

One morning as she was preparing breakfast Jenny remembered her first morning in Paternoster Row when she had been utterly clueless as to what she had to do when preparing the meals. She recalled how she had cut right through one of the main arteries on the hare she had been deboning and the blood had covered her like a sprinkler, showering her in the sticky red substance until it was practically dripping from her hair and clothes. Having only one uniform at the time as Vastra had a dress maker working on a few spares Jenny had tried to clean the blood off of herself as well as she could before taking the breakfast tray up to her mistress' room and gently waking the reptile by lightly squeezing her shoulder and whispering that her breakfast was ready. Vastra had been groggy on first waking and to begin with she had hissed her disapproval at the early hour, that was until she opened her eyes and caught sight of her maid opening the curtains on the other side of the room.

"What on earth happened to you?" She had asked, pulling herself up in the bed with her pillows piled behind her, regarding Jenny as though she were her breakfast as opposed to the meat sat on the tray on the bedside table.

"The 'are an' I 'ad a disagreement" Jenny had joked, trying to make light of the situation, but Vastra didn't laugh. Only on turning back to her mistress had Jenny noticed the predatory gleam in the woman's eyes and instantly a knot seemed to twist itself in her stomach. She had almost forgotten how dangerous Vastra was but the look that she had given her that morning had solidified that exact point and Jenny had quickly excused herself from her mistress' room in order to change into something a little less blood soaked for fear of becoming Vastra's lunch herself.

Chuckling to herself at the memory Jenny finished preparing Vastra's meat (beef that morning, a little harder to manoeuvre around the kitchen as Jenny had learned the hard way) and poured sheep's blood into a glass. Thankfully since the first morning there had been no more incidents with the blood but for a week after the incident Jenny had been apprehensive when waking Vastra in the mornings. Something about the way she had looked at her the first morning had stuck in her head and she couldn't seem to shift the fear that had lodged itself in her mind. Jenny had been genuinely afraid that Vastra would kill her that day. She had avoided the woman from breakfast until dinner and as Vastra had insisted that Jenny sit with her in the evenings she had been careful not to let her eyes wonder too far from the Silurian for the whole night, just in case something did happen. After a week had passed and she was still alive, however, Jenny began to understand that it had probably been the blood that had caused her mistress to react in the way she did and that realistically she had nothing to fear.

It had been two months since Vastra had hired Jenny as her maid and in the time the two women had lived under the same roof it had become clear that they were growing to be close friends. To some extent it was a shock to both how close they had become but to Vastra it was something she had never expected to happen at all. When she had agreed to allow Jenny to stay on as her maid she hadn't been at all sure about how a human's presence in her home would sit with her; she had had mixed feelings from the beginning mostly involving a hatred of human kind and yet a worry for the girl's safety, however it had become apparent to her that the longer she spent with Jenny the more fond she was growing of the girl. There were little things that Jenny would do that were so human that Vastra couldn't help but find them endearing. Despite knowing how messy Vastra was when she ate the girl would go to a great deal of trouble ensuring that her breakfast tray was laid out neatly and adorned with a single flower in a tiny vase every morning without fail. She would often leave Vastra little notes around the house on days when there were things that the Silurian had to do that Jenny was afraid she would forget. Lately, Vastra had even noticed that once she was tucked up in bed Jenny would wait until she thought her mistress was asleep and then she would peek her head around the door of her bedroom just to check that everything was alright and that Vastra was in fact sleeping soundly as she was supposed to be. She found it sweet how much the girl seemed to care.

As Jenny entered Vastra's bedroom, the breakfast tray balanced between her hand and her right hip, she was careful to remain as quiet as she possibly could. Although she trusted Vastra not to harm her at all she had learned that the softer she was in waking her mistress the more pleasant Vastra's mood would be for the rest of the day. Gently the maid placed the breakfast tray on the bedside table to the right of the bed and gave it a last check to make sure it looked just right. Once she was satisfied she turned to the bed where a mound of quilts, blankets, pillows and cushions marked the whereabouts of Vastra's sleeping form. It was mid-December and Jenny had found that the best way to keep her mistress warm during the cold months was to keep a fire lit at all times and to wrap the woman in as many layers of material as she possibly could. The only drawback she had found, however, was currently lying in front of her. While Jenny could make a rough guess as to where her mistress was in the mound of bedding she could not see a single scale exposed to the rest of the room and it made it incredibly awkward when it came to waking the woman. The room was stuffy with a freshly lit fire that Jenny hoped would mean Vastra would not dislike her so much for waking her. Careful not to cause too much disturbance Jenny allowed herself to kneel on the edge of the bed and, leaning over the 'bedding mountain' as she had been calling it in her own mind, she slowly began to peel back the layers of sheets in search of Vastra. It took a good few minutes but just as she was beginning to think that there couldn't be any more layers to pull back she lifted a small cushion to reveal Vastra's sleeping face peeking out into the half-light of the room.

For a moment Jenny stayed knelt on the edge of the bed, watching as Vastra's lips moved ever so slightly with each breath she took and her eyelids twitched as though she were having an extremely vivid dream. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and Jenny had to suppress a giggle which threatened to burst free and wake the sleeping Silurian in a less than gentle way. The maid knew she shouldn't have been watching her employer sleep. Her job was to bring the breakfast tray up, wake her mistress and open the curtains, not to observe Vastra without her consent or knowledge. Despite knowing that she shouldn't though Jenny simply couldn't help herself. She saw this part of the morning as a rare opportunity. Not many human's ever got the chance to meet a creature like Vastra in their lives but Jenny was lucky enough to live with her. She was the only person who got to see her mistress in such a vulnerable state and, though she'd never admit to Vastra that she watched her as she slept for a few minutes every morning, in her heart she knew that it was one of her favourite parts of the day. For a creature as dangerous as Vastra she didn't half seem harmless when she was asleep.

After a few minutes interlude Jenny reached in through the quilts and blankets and squeezed Vastra's shoulder gently just as she had done every morning for the past two months. The Silurian stirred and made a soft growling sound in the back of her throat, wrinkling her nose in annoyance as her peaceful sleeping state was disrupted. Once again Jenny found herself having to stifle a giggle, this time for fear of seeming unprofessional as opposed to not wanting to wake Vastra.

"Miss," she whispered softly, trying to hide the grin that was slowly spreading across her face "it's mornin'. Time to wake up. I've got your breakfast all ready for you." Vastra was growling almost continuously as Jenny finished her sentence. She attempted to roll over and re-bury herself in the soft, warm sheets that surrounded her but it was no use, Jenny had clearly anticipated that move and as a precaution had cleared as much space around her mistress as she could without taking away too much of the heat that kept Vastra in an agreeable mood. Resigning herself to her fate Vastra cracked one eye open and peered up at the girl still perched above her.

"Why must you always wake me so early Jenny?" she whined sleepily, pouting a little in the hope that the maid would allow her a few more minutes sleep. "And why do you always take away my hopes of burying myself in my sheets again? You know how content I am in my little den." At that Jenny did giggle, rolling her eyes as she stood up and made her way over to the windows on the other side of the room.

"I only do what you instruct me to ma'am" she reminded Vastra as she opened the curtains, allowing a little more light to fill up the darkened room.

"Well perhaps I should instruct you otherwise in future." Jenny always found it highly amusing how Vastra would fight her own orders to wake up in the mornings. Although she knew that her mistress was fully aware that she couldn't just sleep the day away Vastra still enjoyed making a fuss about being pulled from her dream world that she loved so dearly.

"Don't make me drag you from that bed myself ma'am, we both know you'd be a lot 'appier getting up o' your own accord."

"Do we?" For a second Jenny's smile faltered. Vastra had never responded like that before. Usually when the maid quipped about dragging the lizard from her bed Vastra would make some witty remark about how entertaining it would be to see her try and then the pair would move on with their day. Why was this morning any different?

Still buried in the sheets Vastra's eyes opened wide and she wrestled a hand from her blanket cocoon in order to silence herself, pressing her fingers to her lips as hard as she could. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. Although she had grown close to her maid Vastra was entirely aware that what she had just said was laced with suggestion and the impropriety of it had cut through the air like a knife as the words had left her lips. Had Jenny noticed? Had she picked up on the suggestion behind Vastra's words? With the girl on the other side of the room it was almost impossible to tell but her silence did not fill the Silurian with hope.

This was getting out of hand. Vastra had thought that she was controlling her emotions well. She had thought that she had understood her feelings for the girl, that she saw her as a friend, a daughter of sorts that she was growing to love and wanted to protect. But what she had just said had not sounded motherly at all. Surely she couldn't be developing feelings for the girl. Of course they spent a fair amount of time together and since Jenny had begun to open up to her more Vastra's fondness had only grown towards her maid. They often joked with each other, finding that although there were some jokes that were separated in time their sense of humour was not so different. But had all of that led Vastra to believe that the girl could be more than just an employee or a friend to her?

Jenny was still silent. She didn't know what to make of Vastra's unusual response. Part of her wanted to question it, but another part wanted to flee from the room that second so that she could find space to think. What Vastra had said was almost flirtatious. There had certainly been something different to their usual jokes in the Silurian's words. But had Vastra meant it that way? It was plausible that Jenny could have misinterpreted her, or that perhaps Vastra had not understood the suggestion she had made. It was impossible to tell either way as her mistress was hidden from view, still buried in her bedding like a butterfly who had not yet emerged into the sunlight. A few times Jenny parted her lips to speak but words seemed to fail her. What could she say when she couldn't even decipher Vastra's intent. What could she say when she was unsure of how she felt about the suggestion? Did she want her mistress to have intended to be flirtatious? No. That was wrong. She couldn't possibly have wanted that. But then again...? In the end she opted for silence. She slowly began to walk back to the door but she stopped as she reached it, looking back over at the bed where Vastra was only just beginning to extract herself from her sheets.

"I 'ope you 'ave a pleasant day miss," she murmured a little uncertainly, "I'll see you later on." With that the girl scampered back to the kitchen to try and work through her confusion while scrubbing up blood stains from the floors.

Vastra sat for a long time trying to figure out why she had lost control of herself to such an extent that morning. She told herself that even if she was developing feelings for the girl she could not allow them to overwhelm her. Jenny had been teaching her about the society they lived in and how those in Victorian England viewed things including relationships. If she remembered rightly Vastra was sure she had mentioned something about people believing feelings between those of the same gender to be a sin against one of their gods. If that was the case then Jenny would certainly not return any feelings that she could hold for the girl. 'And besides,' she thought to herself as she sat in her bed pondering these thoughts, 'how could any human see me in any other way than as a monster?'


	8. The Silurian and The Maid

For days and days after Vastra's slip up over breakfast the Silurian noticed that Jenny seemed to be avoiding her. The only time she saw the girl was when she woke her in the mornings and even then she would simply place the breakfast tray down, shake her mistress until she woke up, open the curtains and immediately turn and leave to carry on with the rest of her day, closing the door behind herself. She never said a single word and Vastra couldn't help but feel that she had ruined all of the progress that the pair had made towards becoming friends. Jenny had stopped sitting with Vastra in the evenings, instead choosing to shut herself up in her room where she knew her mistress wouldn't disturb her. She had even begun to lay Vastra's dinner out early to avoid the possibility of running into her as she made her way to the dining room. All of these things played on the Silurian's mind as she lay in bed one night about two weeks after her maid had begun to shut her out and she sighed as she stared into the flickering light of the fire to the right of her bed.

Everything had felt wrong in the past two weeks. Vastra had begun to feel as alone and afraid as she had done when the Doctor first brought her to Paternoster Row and it had begun to become very real to her how everyone and everything she had had was all of a sudden gone from her life. The Silurian sunk lower into the her pillows as the pain caused by the loss of her family began to wash over her again and she pulled the pile of blankets and quilts around her tightly. Why had she been woken from her hibernation? Why had her family been taken from her? Why had she been so stupid as to scare away the one person who had become like a family to her, the one person who had begun to heal the pain still aching in her cold blooded heart?

The winter nights were growing colder it seemed, although Vastra couldn't tell if the blankets and fire had stopped working or if it was the cold inside of her that she couldn't seem to shake off. Unable to get warm Vastra slid from her bed onto the floor and, dragging the bedding with her, she crawled closer to the fire, curling herself into a foetal position by its side. She wished she could undo what she had said to Jenny, she wished she could go back and stop her sleep-addled mind from speaking before it had thought things through properly, but she couldn't. Even if she asked the Doctor she was sure he would tell her the same. Crossing one's own timeline would never be a smart move. Slowly as Vastra lay there unable to cease her worries sleep took over her body and she fell from her consciousness into a pool of dreams full of her lost sisters and the maid who she feared would avoid her forever more.

~.~.~.~.~.~

As Jenny crept into Vastra's room the next morning she was surprised to find that her mistress' was not in her bed. She placed the breakfast tray down on the bedside table a little more heavily than normal, her eyes fixed on the spot where Vastra should have been and a frown painted on her features. Where was she? Vastra was never awake before her, and Jenny was almost certain from how her mistress was in the mornings that the woman wouldn't have been able to force herself out of bed without some prompting.

Jenny pressed a hand into the pile of bedding to make sure that she wasn't just imagining things but as her fingers sunk through the softness and only stopped when they reached the bed itself she began to panic a little. There was a tightness in her stomach that she couldn't explain and for a moment she had to grip the post at the foot of the bed to steady herself as she feared she may simply collapse. She didn't understand where Vastra could have gone so early but for some reason it unnerved her. For a few moments she stood there, trying to collect her thoughts, when she caught sight of something in the corner of her eye. There were a few sheets and pillows discarded on the floor by the fire and on one of the pillows a scrap of paper had been laid neatly, folded in half, with Jenny's name written in a delicate swirling font on the front. Bending down the girl picked up the note and took it over to Vastra's writing desk where she sat and unfolded it, very slowly attempting to read it though the font and her limited reading skills did make the task tricky.

_Jenny, _

_I know you do not wish to speak to me at the moment but I have to explain that on the morning when I said... _(the next bit was crossed out and underneath Vastra had corrected herself_) when I suggested what I did I was not thinking properly. In my still dozing state my words seemed to be running ahead of my mind and I should have stopped myself. I am so sorry for making you uncomfortable Jenny, it was never my intention. _

_I have gone to meet the Doctor, I thought it best that I talk some things over with him to clear my mind and make some of my thoughts more clear. _

_I truly am sorry Jenny, these past weeks have been rather lonesome with you avoiding me and I hope that you will forgive this daft old reptile for being so empty headed. I need my friend back. _

_V. _

As Jenny read the note, the knot in her stomach tightened even further. She hadn't realised that her avoidance of Vastra would affect her to such an extent. For two weeks Jenny had been trying to figure out how best to handle this situation with her employer. On numerous occasions she had gone to Vastra's study, planning on sitting with the Silurian and trying to talk the matter through with her, to ask her what she had meant that morning, but no matter how often she went the maid could never find the courage to just knock on the door. Had Vastra been worrying about Jenny being angry or upset with her the entire time? From the tone of her note it seemed that she had been - _these past weeks have been rather lonesome with you avoiding me_. She had never meant to hurt Vastra, the last thing she wanted was to make her feel alone, she just hadn't known what to do.

_I should have stopped myself_ she had said. Did that mean that she had intended to be flirtatious? That in her semi-conscious mind Vastra had thought there would be no harm in a little suggestion? Was it possible she could even have meant it...? Jenny felt herself blushing and a small smile played on her lips at the thought of it. Somehow she had never considered Vastra as the sort to have an interest in any human, let alone another female, let alone Jenny herself. She knew that her mistress had learned to like her well enough but not in that way. The question was, how did she feel about Vastra?

Jenny knew what everyone thought of those who found the love that a man and woman should share with someone of the same gender as themselves. She knew that on the whole a girl would be wise to avoid angering anyone by doing such a thing. The problem she found was that, as of late, she had felt herself growing weary of pretending to be something that she wasn't all of the time. From a very young age Jenny had known that she was different to other girls. She had preferred play fighting with the boys to sitting and having tea parties with the other girls, she had never had an issue with playing rough or getting her dresses dirty, and when Johnny Moor had tried to kiss her when she was thirteen she had been so disgusted by the thought that she had punched him so hard that his nose bled for three hours solid. She had always seen men as her friends but never anything more. Women, on the other hand, were an entirely different matter. Jenny had had female friends all of her life the same as any little girl, but they were very few and often she would find that she seemed to care for the girls who she befriended far more than they cared for her. Lucy had been one of those girls. Pretty Lucy who had always understood Jenny and been there when she needed her. Lucy who had been wildly in love with the shop boy who lived two doors down from her and gave her a rose every day when he saw her on his way to work. The day she found Lucy dead every inch of her had gone numb, she hadn't talked to anyone for days after it happened and it wasn't until she heard that the police had arrested the shop boy that she began to feel again, finding herself filled with such pure hatred that she spent her days and nights dreaming about the most violent ways to kill the boy for what he'd done to her Lucy.

Vastra fascinated Jenny, there was no doubt about that. The way she spoke and acted was so different from any woman Jenny had ever known. Vastra didn't allow men to believe themselves better or smarter than her. She wasn't afraid to fight for herself or the people she cared for. Sometimes she seemed like the coldest, most hard hearted person on the planet; yet there was another side to her mistress that Jenny knew Vastra hid far too often. There was a side to the Silurian that almost cared too much. A side that was full of insecurities and vulnerability. The side that Jenny had seen every morning in the few minutes that she would watch her sleep and smile at the soft, vulnerable innocence in her delicately and precisely scaled face. Thinking about it, Jenny supposed that a part of her had developed feelings for her mistress. She had wondered before about Vastra and how she felt towards her, in the last two weeks since that morning in particular Jenny had even begun to see Vastra in a different light. She was a beautiful woman, and not just beautiful in the way that a friend would say you were beautiful if you were feeling low about yourself but beautiful in the way that Jenny would happily explore Vastra as though she were a new country that she had just discovered. She would probe her mind and knowledge and culture from her, she would take great pleasure in delving into the depths of her inside and out until she knew every inch of her mistress as well as she knew herself. Only thinking about it as she sat with Vastra's note in her lap did Jenny realise how much Vastra had come to mean to her. Only then did it occur to her that every minute she had watched the woman sleep, every time they had joked and teased one another, every moment that they had spent by the fire in the sitting room just talking for hours on end, all of that time Jenny had been falling for her mistress a little bit more. All of a sudden it all made sense. She even wondered if perhaps that was why she had so much difficulty getting up the courage to talk to Vastra about what had happened. Jenny had never been any good at talking about her feelings, maybe that was why she had been so nervous all of those times stood outside Vastra's office door, too afraid to knock and enter.

"Jenny?" the maid was pulled from her thoughts as the soft tones of Vastra's voice echoed in her mind and she slowly turned in the chair to find her mistress stood in the doorway, watching her as she sat, bent over the note in her hands.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Vastra paced back and forth across the TARDIS as the Doctor leaned against the console, watching his friend as she paced. How she had tracked him down the Doctor still hadn't managed to figure out but however she had done it he could see that she needed his help. When she had first knocked on the TARDIS door he had been delighted to see her, ushering her in as quickly as he could but since then she had spent ten minutes in the same state as she was in at that moment, just pacing back and forth with her head down and her arms forming exasperated patterns in the air around her. Several times he had asked if she was okay but to no avail, still, the Doctor was a determined man and as Vastra turned to pace back towards him he folded his arms and looked straight at her with a serious glint in his eyes.

"What's going on Vastra?" he asked this time, hoping that maybe a more open question would get a better response from her. Vastra stopped in her pacing and looked up at him for the first time since she had entered the blue box.

"What's going on?" she repeated, her eyes misty and distracted, "what's going on, Doctor, is that you insisted on me taking that girl in as my maid and I have now made the most elementary error one could ever think of making."

"You've eaten her?" The Doctor asked, frowning a little as he realised that for once he actually had no idea what was going on or how to fix it.

"No I haven't eaten her," Vastra replied in an exasperated tone, remembering for a moment the first morning Jenny had woken her covered in blood and for a second she had thought she would devour the poor little thing whole she had simply looked so delicious, "this is much worse Doctor, so much worse..." as it all began to build and become too much again Vastra found herself recommencing her pacing, back and forth, back and forth until the Doctor coughed and she realised that she still hadn't explained her matter entirely. Slowly the reptilian woman allowed herself to slump to the floor, curling her legs under herself and glancing up at the Doctor with big blue eyes, looking so innocent and lost that he felt the need to crouch down by her side for fear of intimidating her.

"What is it?" he asked softly, looking at Vastra as reassuringly as he could. "What's happened?"

"I... I'm not sure, but... I think I may have begun to develop feelings for the girl."

"For Jenny?" The Doctor almost jumped up in surprise, both of his eyebrows raised high enough for his hair to flop right over them and hide them from view as he continued to regard his friend slumped on the floor in amazement. "Vastra, only a few months ago you were swearing to murder every human on this planet for revenge and now..."

"I know, I know. I am as surprised as you are my friend, believe me when I tell you that. But I've made a mistake. The other morning I said something that I shouldn't have without thinking and she's not spoken to me since. The thought that I may have lost the one person who I have in this time..." The Doctor coughed as if to bring the attention to himself and Vastra lifted her gaze, glaring at him and muttering, "you know what I mean! The one constant person who doesn't run off and leave me all of the time. The thought that I have lost her over this... it's tearing me apart Doctor."

"What did you say that could have been so bad?"

"I made a suggestion..." she hinted, hoping he wouldn't make her elaborate. She was embarrassed enough already without having to admit that she had practically told Jenny that she wouldn't mind her getting her out of bed if there were some sort of sexual act involved. Unfortunately though the Doctor didn't seem to understand her meaning and she sighed in exasperation at his childishness when it came to matters of the heart. "I made a suggestion that may have been mildly sexual... I don't believe she took it as well as I had hoped but in my defence I had only just woken up at the time and I wasn't entirely seeing sense."

"Oh Vastra," the Doctor chuckled, swinging his legs as he transferred all of his weight onto the bar he had been leaning on, "you naughty girl! I should introduce you to my friend River, you two would get on like a house on fire!" Vastra was blushing a deep shade of green as the Doctor laughed, she just wished he would stop and change the subject. She needed him to help her figure out what to do, not just to stand there and laugh at her.

"Yes, I know, I'm terrible," she sighed, rolling her eyes "but Doctor, I don't know what to do. I can't bear her shutting me out, but if I am right about my feelings what am I supposed to do about it?" Vastra was shaking slightly as she spoke and The Doctor was beginning to worry about how much Jenny was affecting her. Just a few weeks without speaking to the girl and Vastra seemed to be falling apart at the seams.

"I'm not good with all of this love and relationship stuff Vastra, I don't know what you're supposed to do. Talk to her? See how she feels about you?"

"And if she won't talk to me?"

"Then maybe you forget it." Vastra sighed and lifted herself from the floor. To some extent she didn't want to leave, at least in the TARDIS she didn't have to face her own feelings, but she knew that if she didn't go then she may never get up the courage to go back to the house again. So, she said goodbye to the Doctor and headed home, hoping that Jenny wouldn't be hiding away somewhere that she wouldn't be able to find her once she had returned.

~.~.~.~.~.~

"Jenny?" the maid was pulled from her thoughts as the soft tones of Vastra's voice echoed in her mind and she slowly turned in the chair to find her mistress stood in the doorway, watching her as she sat, bent over the note in her hands.

Vastra hadn't expected to find Jenny in her room. In fact, if anything she had expecting her maid to be off cleaning a room as far away from the parts of the house that she inhabited as possible. Glancing around the room she noticed that it was still in the state she had left it in over an hour ago, with the exception of the breakfast tray that had appeared on the bedside table and the maid herself who was sat at the writing desk with the note clutched in her hands. She wondered how long Jenny had been sat there alone. If she had been there since bringing the breakfast in then Vastra was sure the girl must have been there for over half an hour, but what had she been doing? Waiting for Vastra to return? No, it was probably more likely that she had been waiting to inform her mistress that she couldn't live like they had been and that she was going home.

Jenny was looking at Vastra with a strange expression on her face that the Silurian couldn't quite place. It wasn't anger or upset so perhaps she wasn't planning on leaving after all. Was it confusion? Maybe a little but there was something else there too...

"Ma'am, can we talk about this?" Jenny held the note up and Vastra was sure she felt her heart drop into her stomach. She was glad that Jenny wanted to talk, it meant that she herself didn't have to suggest that they do so, but there were so many ways that a conversation of that sort could end and Vastra wasn't sure if she was ready to know how it would end just yet. Nevertheless she nodded and slowly made her way around to the other side of her bed, perching herself on the edge so that she was facing Jenny. It seemed an age that they sat in silence like that, neither of them really wanting to start but both knowing they had to talk about it eventually. "I 'aven't been avoidin' you on purpose ma'am" Jenny finally muttered. She just wanted the silence between them to stop. The suspense was worse than she feared the actual discussion would be. Vastra raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, wondering where Jenny was planning on going with this train of thought. "Well... I 'ave, but I don't think it's for the same reason you've convinced yourself it is."

"What are you trying to say Jenny?" Vastra was becoming more confused by Jenny's attempts to explain herself than she had been when the girl was refusing to speak to her. Why could humans not simply say what they meant instead of confusing everything further?

"In this," she indicated the note again "you said you were sorry you'd made me uncomfortable, but that's not what 'appened at all..."

"Oh?" Vastra wasn't sure whether to feel hurt or not. From what Jenny said it almost sounded to her as though she had been avoiding the two of them coming into contact for no apparent reason, however, somewhere in the back of her mind the Silurian felt there must be more to it than that. Surely there was something that had made Jenny stay away from her for so long. "Then, may I ask why you have been keeping your distance for the past two weeks?" At this Jenny's eye line dropped slightly and she had to fight the blush that was threatening to alter her face to a shade of red that was unbecoming on any girl. It took her a few minutes but eventually she pulled herself together enough to form a proper answer.

"Honestly," She started, steeling her nerves enough to look into her mistress's face even though she was not quite comfortable enough to meet those pretty blue eyes of hers "I wasn't sure 'ow I felt about it... what you suggested" Her cheeks were burning and Jenny was sure that she must have turned a deep shade of pink as Vastra regarded her with a cool countenance. How did she stay so calm while discussing something like this? Jenny wondered if Vastra had had a lot of experience with handling issues of this nature. She seemed so serene while Jenny was falling apart and the maid suspected that it wasn't just because her mistress' society placed differing importance on relationships and issues of the sort. Although Jenny had been in relationships with men before, to her each relationship had only been for show as a way of keeping her parents happy. She had never been in a real relationship. No woman had even shown an interest in her before that morning two weeks ago and everything had seemed to become so real in such a short space of time that Jenny was finding it hard to keep track of her emotions and her mind.

"And now?"

"Now..." Jenny murmured, biting her lip slightly as she gazed into Vastra's face, "now, I've had time to think it through." She could feel her heart pounding fast in her chest, the heat in her face never subsiding. Her hands fidgeted restlessly with the note she still held and she could feel the paper moistening as her palms began to sweat. "Now, I don't think I mind the suggestion all that much," a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she spoke and she giggled slightly as she added "Or the flirtin'."

Vastra didn't speak for a moment but Jenny could see in her eyes that she hadn't been expecting the response she had received. The shining crystal pools of blue were searching Jenny's face for any hint of uncertainty but no matter how deeply she looked she couldn't find a single flicker to suggest that Jenny wasn't entirely sure about what she was saying. She parted her lips to speak but no words came out and Jenny turned her eyes to the ground, smiling at how she had managed to render Madame Vastra, who always seemed to have something to say, entirely speechless.

"So, what now?" Vastra asked, allowing her eyes to finally capture Jenny's own eyes of deep brown. She seemed to lose herself there for a short while and it wasn't until the maid had stood and walked over to her that she managed to pull herself from her trance, smiling softly up at the girl who stood over her.

"Now you let me do my job ma'am" She smirked and indicated for Vastra to get up from the bed. As the Silurian rose to her feet she took a mental note of how close Jenny seemed to be. It wasn't until she was standing that she noticed how only an inch or so of air separated them and for a second Vastra wanted nothing more than to take the girl in her arms and kiss her, but she knew better than that. As she stepped away she could have sworn she felt Jenny's fingers brush against her own but turning back at the door to get her breakfast tray the girl seemed to be entirely absorbed in making the bed. It wasn't until she looked up at Vastra with a mischievous glint in her eye that the Silurian felt herself blush and with a last smile to her maid she removed herself from the room to take her breakfast in the dining room for a change.


	9. Courting

As Vastra had eaten her breakfast that morning her mind had lingered on the way Jenny had momentarily allowed her fingers to brush against her own and how the girl had given her that look as she had left as though she were thinking of almost unspeakable things that she would like to do to her mistress. On several occasions Vastra even had to remind herself that Jenny had not necessarily said that she had feelings for the Silurian at all, rather that she was not opposed to suggestions of improper acts and flirtatious words shared between the two. Of course, to Vastra those were the sort of acts that constituted emotion between a couple - in fact, in Silurian society flirting was something that was engaged in long after the courting process had taken place. However, she had to remember that perhaps in human society this was not the case. Bearing that in mind, she had begun to wonder if courting her maid would be an appropriate next step now that Jenny knew of the feelings she had begun to develop.

Despite having begun to learn about the society in which she now lived Vastra still knew very little about the now developed humans and how their rituals in relation to each other would work. Incidentally, if she were to court Jenny she hadn't the faintest idea of how humans went about such a process. If she were courting one of her own kind the process was very simple. Usually the individual doing the courting would kill a dangerous criminal and present the body to the other as a symbol of their strength and capability, the two most prominent traits that Silurians looked for in their partners. After receiving this gift the other individual would then express their acceptance of the courtship through feasting on the body. Somehow Vastra didn't think Jenny would appreciate that method as much as something a little more human.

Sitting in her study later in the day, attempting to focus on a new set of leads that Scotland Yard had given her concerning all sorts of criminals from thieves to murderers, Vastra found her mind wondering back to Jenny and the issue of how to go about formally courting the girl. She was sure that a human would be equally as interested in their partner being strong and capable as her people had been but she wondered if there was any other qualities that the species would view as important when choosing their partner. As the thoughts and questions continued to circle her mind Vastra stood from her seat and made her way over to the book case stood along the wall behind her. An idea had suddenly occurred to her. She ran her finger along the spines of the books until she reached one that she remembered the Doctor had given to her as a 'house warming' gift (not that Vastra had any idea what that was supposed to be). The title of the novel read _Jane Eyre_ and was apparently written by a woman by the name of Charlotte Brontë. From what Vastra could tell she was almost certain that the book was of human origin and she had remembered how, on giving it to her, the Doctor had hinted that perhaps one day it would come in handy if she were ever to change her opinion of human kind. Of course, at the time Vastra had hardly thought it possible but as it happened her opinions, at least as far as Jenny was concerned, had altered a considerable amount. Returning to her desk Vastra pushed the papers she had been reading for work aside and began to read but she had barely got past the first chapter when there was a knock on the door and Jenny slid into the room, the cloth she used for dusting in one hand and a broom in the other.

"Sorry for the interruption ma'am, she started, leaning the broom up against the door frame as she looked around the room to gauge the amount of effort she would need to put into making the place spotless "I know I normally try to wait until you're out to do in 'ere but every other room seems to be fairly clean in comparison." Looking up at her maid Vastra noticed that hint of mischief in her eyes again and she wondered how likely it was that this whole excuse of Jenny's was a fabrication. Of course, she wasn't complaining. Fabrication of not, she would take any chance she could get to spend time with the girl even if they were both focusing on separate tasks.

"Don't mind me," she answered with a smile "I'm sure you won't be too much of a distraction." She knew that this wasn't strictly true but at that moment Vastra was too busy trying to learn about human forms of romance to allow herself to be distracted and so she turned back to her novel, leaning on her desk as she turned the pages and read.

Jenny commenced her dusting, starting with the book shelves on the far wall and slowly working her way around the room, being careful to take as much time as she possibly could. Really, she hadn't been planning on cleaning the study at all that day but as she had tried to get on with her duties elsewhere in the house she had found herself almost magnatised to the room, wanting more than anything to enter its confines and spend a little time with her mistress. Since her carefully placed touch of their hands that morning Jenny hadn't been able to shift the memory of the feeling of Vastra's cool scales against her own warm skin. There was something intoxicating about the sensation of it and the maid wondered if she could find a way to touch her mistress' hand again without it being too obvious what she was attempting to do. She looked over at the Silurian as she continued to dust, watching as the woman's eyes scanned the pages of the book in front of her. Jenny had been sure that she would find her mistress working when she entered the room so she was slightly taken aback by the sight of her leant over her desk with a novel in her hands.

"Readin' anythin' interestin' ma'am?" She asked, turning her eyes back to her cleaning in the hope that it wouldn't seem as though she had been watching Vastra for too long. Jenny knew that her mistress was most likely only too aware that she had been watching her for the past few minutes but still it seemed more polite to pretend that she hadn't been.

"Oh, just a novel the Doctor gave to me a while back. I'm hoping it can be of some use to me." The corners of Vastra's mouth twitched up into a momentary smile but her eyes never left the page. She seemed to be entirely absorbed in the story whatever it was and Jenny couldn't help but wonder what novel the Doctor could possibly have chosen to give to a woman who had been hibernating for a few million years. She edged her way over to Vastra slowly and, using her dusting cloth as a bookmark, slid the novel from her employers grip and closed it so that she could see what it was. Vastra looked up at her in surprise; however, unsure of how to react, she decided to simply allow the maid to study the novel's cover for a few minutes.

"Jane Eyre?" Jenny asked, an eyebrow raised as she looked the book over. "My mother read this to me when I was young... I'm not sure 'ow it could be any 'elp to you though ma'am, there aint much mystery of crime solvin' in it."

"I never said I was hoping it would be of use in relation to my work" the Silurian chuckled and she extracted the book from Jenny's grip, being careful to slide her fingertips along the girl's hands as she did so. Jenny's skin tingled at Vastra's touch and for a moment she found herself unable to find the words to answer her last remark or the ability to move from the spot where she stood. It wasn't until Vastra had slid the dusting cloth from between the pages of the novel and pressed it back into Jenny's hand that she managed to clear her mind of her elation of feeling those scales again to the extent that she could once again process her own thoughts.

"Then what?" She stuttered slightly, partly from confusion and partly from the cloud of feeling that still hazed the edges of her mind. Vastra just smiled softly and went back to reading, leaving Jenny to stand by her side and watch.

~.~.~.~.~.~

The day passed slowly and it seemed an age that Jenny spent cleaning each room. She had never had so much trouble finding motivation to work before but her entire day had been consumed with thoughts of Vastra from the moment she realised how her feelings for the woman had been building, unnoticed, in the back of her mind since the day they had met. As she was finishing up cleaning the floors of the greenhouse and watering the plants before going to prepare dinner she heard a rustling of skirts behind her and turned to find Vastra stood in the doorway with a scowl on her face and her copy of _Jane Eyre_ in her hands.

"This book is ridiculous." The Silurian stated, looking down at the thing as though it had personally insulted her. "I have no idea why the Doctor thought it would be of use to me, it was no help at all!" Jenny raised an eyebrow but tried to keep her voice as even as possible as she replaced the watering can behind the plant in the corner and made her way over to her mistress.

"Well, I did tell you I didn't think it'd be o' much use to you ma'am. Perhaps the Doctor didn't understand it when 'e gave it to you. 'e's not that much more clued in on 'umans than you are no matter 'ow much 'e likes to pretend otherwise."Jenny took the book from Vastra and regarded it, flicking through the pages as she asked, "what was it you were 'opin' it'd 'elp you with anyway?" A soft blush crept up on Vastra's cheeks and, though she tried to hide it, Jenny didn't miss the change in her face. A small smile appeared on the girl's face and she looked at her mistress more closely as though she were trying to read her thoughts. "Well?"

"I... Oh, I can't tell you, it sounds ridiculous" Vastra huffed, the scowl deepening on her face.

"Ma'am, maybe I could think of a novel that could 'elp you more if you'd just tell me."

"Jenny... I was just..." The Silurian stumbled over her words, not sure what to say to find a way around telling Jenny the truth. Why did the book have to be so useless? If it had had any helpful tips at all she would have used them to gain Jenny's affections. Then again, perhaps she had just not understood the helpful points that were there if there had been any at all. With a small sigh she cast her eyes down. She could barely believe what she was about to do. "I was trying to find out how you humans go about courting one another..." For a moment Jenny stared at Vastra in silence. It made the Silurian a little uncomfortable how the maid just watched her, not knowing what the girl was thinking. Within a few seconds, however, Jenny began to giggle. She covered her mouth with her hand trying to stifle it but it was no use, she just couldn't stop herself no matter how hard she tried.

"Oh ma'am..." she tittered, barely able to catch her breath from all of the laughing. She was hoping that Vastra wouldn't take offense. She didn't mean to laugh at her, it was just so sweet that Vastra had thought a novel would give her all of the answers to courtship that Jenny couldn't help herself. It took at least five minutes but eventually Jenny's laughter died down and when she looked back up at Vastra she had to stifle another bout of giggles that were prompted by the look on her mistress' face, she clearly couldn't see what was so funny.

"Are you quite done?" She asked, her arms crossed, trapping the book between her arms and her chest. "I didn't realise there was anything humorous about me trying to learn something new about your society."

"I am sorry ma'am, it's just," Jenny took a deep breath, still trying to calm herself from the fit of laughter she had just managed to subdue "courtship aint somethin' you can learn from a book as far as I'm aware. An' certainly not from that book. If anyone tried to court me like that Mr Rochester did Jane I'd not give them a second of my time." Vastra felt her heart sink at Jenny's words. All of the time she had put into studying that book and it had all been for nothing, perhaps it was time for a more direct approach.

"Well how do human's go about it then?"

"Like I say miss, there isn't exactly a set way to approach it. Every person's different. For me, I just like someone to show an interest in me an' be patient enough to wait until I'm ready to open up to 'em." she smiled slightly at her mistress and gently loosened the woman's grip on the book, placing it on a table close by. "If you're askin 'ow you should go about courtin' me like I think you are ma'am then I think you've already been doin' it since the day you took me on as your maid.

"I have?" The shock on Vastra's face was a picture indeed and Jenny wished that she had had some way of preserving it forever just to remind herself as time went on. As it was her memory would have to do.

A little tentatively the maid lifted her hand and gently stroked the scales of her mistress' cheek, carefully following the patterns that they made with the tips of her fingers before cupping her cheek in the palm of her hand. As the warmth of her skin met the cool surface of Vastra's scales the Silurian let out a sound like the purr of a cat and she felt herself involuntarily leaning into Jenny's touch. The girl was watching her as though mesmerised, the depth of her eyes seeming to go on forever as they fixed on Vastra's own. Jenny had never been so openly emotional towards a woman before and every part of her felt alive, as though there were tiny creatures inside of her mind, moving around at such a speed that she could barely connect with the world around her for the chaos and turmoil being created within. She wasn't sure who moved first but Jenny felt herself lean up towards Vastra and her hand still on the woman's cheek guided their faces closer and closer until their lips were locked together and all of a sudden the madness inside of Jenny's head seemed to stop. Everything stopped. All she could feel was Vastra's soft, cold lips on her own and the closeness of her mistress' body. The Silurian shifted slightly and Jenny felt an arm coiling around her waist, pulling her close so abruptly that she had to brace herself with her hands on Vastra's shoulders for support.

Neither of them could tell how long the kiss lasted but as they pulled away, both breathing deeply, they knew that they wanted it to happen again.


	10. Hesitations

As the winter months passed and spring began to creep nearer the feelings between Vastra and Jenny were drawn out along with the blossom on the trees and the buds of flowers peeping up from the grounds. At first it had seemed a slow process to Vastra, or at least a slower process than she was accustomed to. After the first kiss the two women had shared Jenny had slowed the progress of their relationship a little, allowing her mistress to be close to her when she wished it and often to caress her hands and arms as they sat together in the evenings talking, but for a while she would not allow Vastra to kiss her again. It seemed odd to the Silurian that the girl could be so intimate with her one minute and then to refuse her that same intimacy the next. When she asked the girl about it Jenny just smiled a little and lifted Vastra's hand to her lips, kissing it softly and holding it close to her heart.

Jenny was afraid to explain to Vastra why she withheld her affections. Although she had finally found the courage to accept herself and the feelings that she had developed for her mistress there was still a part of her that was so scared of that very thing. The maid knew that her family, if they were ever to find out who she really was, would hate her for it and although she rarely saw them now that she had moved to work for Vastra the thought of them hating her broke her heart. At times Jenny would even find herself wondering why she felt the need to distance herself from her mistress within the house where no one but the two of them had to know about their relationship but for some reason every time she felt herself about to give in to the Silurian's soft lips, beautiful eyes and surprisingly gentle touch all she could think of was what her family would think. It was like a vicious circle, particularly in the evenings when the pair had nothing to focus on but one another. They would talk, they would laugh, they would lose themselves in each other's eyes, Vastra would caress Jenny's hands and that tingling feeling she got when their skin touched would take over the maid's entire body, and just as they were about to kiss an image of her mother crying or her father giving her a disappointed look would materialise in her mind and she would force herself to stop what she was doing immediately.

One evening Jenny and Vastra were curled up on the sofa having given up on the armchairs when they realised that they restricted how close they could get to one another. Vastra was sat in the corner with her legs curled under her while Jenny lay, resting her head in the Silurian's lap. The fingers of Jenny's right hand were entwined with those of Vastra's left hand and as they talked she watched their hands resting on her stomach and how the emerald scales coiled around her pale flesh and Vastra's thumb traced small patterns on the palm of her hand. Her mistress was talking about her work, her voice low and soft as the words rolled from her tongue.

"You know, I sometimes wonder why apes would turn to crime." She muttered, her head tilted slightly to the side and her gaze sweeping over Jenny's figure until she reached the girl's head resting so snugly in her lap. "Surely they know that it's wrong. Surely they understand that if they do something against the law they are going to get caught and punished."

"I don't know ma'am, I suppose people do stupid things when they're desperate..." Vastra watched as Jenny's eyes misted over for a moment and she knew what she was thinking about. The girl was right, sometimes people did do stupid things when they were desperate, but she supposed that most of the time, like Jenny, they did those things for good reasons.

"Are you okay dear?" Using her free hand Vastra tilted the maid's head up to face her and caught hold of her gaze. Jenny blinked away the mist in her eyes slightly and nodded her head. "I didn't mean to make you think of..."

"It's okay ma'am." She felt Vastra's fingers extracting themselves from her own and the Silurian lifted her with very little effort so that she was sat in her lap. Vastra wrapped her arms around Jenny's waist and the maid let herself lean into her mistress' body, nestling her head into the crook of her neck and sighing. She wished she could forget about the rest of the world even just for a few moments. All she had wanted for days was to feel Vastra's lips on her own again. But as Vastra turned the girl's head to face her once more Jenny knew what was about to happen and she was already beginning to think of her family as the Silurian leaned towards her. Automatically the maid turned her face away and as she did so she could feel her mistress' grip loosening around her waist. Vastra's heart sank down to her stomach and she took a deep breath as she attempted not to get upset.

"Jenny..." she started, looking down at the girl's hand on her shoulder, placed there to hold her back slightly. Jenny shook her head, not wanting the woman to ask her again why she kept pushing her away.

"Please... don't. I'm sorry, really I am."

"I just don't understand dear. Before, you were more than happy for us to be intimate, and we sit like this every night, touching and talking. I almost feel as though we are supposed to be like this with one another, but when I try to kiss you..."

"Ma'am please..." tears had sprung up in Jenny's eyes and she had to bite her lower lip to stop it from trembling. Her words shook and it almost broke Vastra's heart to watch as her darling girl cried.

"Jenny, I care about you a lot - more than I think you realise. Please, if you just tell me what's wrong I will do anything I can to get rid of those tears and see you smile again."

"But you can't. I... I'm scared, okay? I'm scared of 'ow my family would react. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I just know 'ow upset they'd be. 'ow much they'd 'ate me for it. It breaks my 'eart just to think of it... but it breaks my 'eart too knowin' I'm upsettin' you in the process." The tears were rolling down Jenny's cheeks as she spoke and Vastra tried to brush them away, holding the girl closer to her with her free arm as she did. The Silurian rested her forehead against her maid's, her eyes closed and her arms once more wrapped around Jenny's waist.

"I know this is not something that is widely accepted dear, and I know it isn't easy for you. I don't want this to hurt you." Vastra lifted her gaze to meet Jenny's, her heart was breaking with every word that passed her lips. "Jenny, my Jenny... I won't continue this if it will hurt you so much that you sit here in my lap, crying. I can't be the cause of this pain for you, and I won't." She tried to slide the girl from her lap but Jenny wouldn't budge. Despite Vastra's strength Jenny had wrapped her arms around the woman's neck and refused to let go. She kept her eyes locked on her mistress' as her lips trembled and she shook her head.

"My 'eart may shatter entirely if I lose you Vastra" she whispered. The Silurian felt every muscle in her body tense as Jenny's gentle voice uttered her name and for a moment she couldn't speak. Every attempt she had been making to separate herself from the girl ceased and she stared at her maid still curled in her lap. Jenny had never used her name before. Until that moment she had only used 'miss' or 'ma'am' when talking to her employer but as the two syllables of her name rolled from Jenny's tongue Vastra felt her heart melt.

"What can I do?" she asked, her hands shaking a little as they rested on Jenny's waist. "How can I make this okay?"

"Just promise me you won't leave me... yes, I'm scared o' losin' my family, but the thought o' losin' you..." The girl shook her head and leaned a little closer to Vastra, once more pressing their foreheads together so that she could feel the Silurian's cool scales against her skin. It was comforting. It made her feel safe to know that she was close.

"I promise," Vastra whispered and, without thinking, Jenny closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to Vastra's in desperation. She had never felt so scared and yet so comforted in her entire life, but as both women twisted their heads to deepen the kiss and clung to each other as though their lives depended on it Jenny finally settled the internal battle she had been facing since their first kiss. Yes, it still hurt her to think how much her family would hate to see her in the arms of a woman (even more so if they were to find out that she was of a different species) but the maid couldn't deny her heart. Not when Vastra was so close. Not when she was happier than she had ever been when she looked into those beautiful cerulean eyes.

Pulling back from the kiss for a moment Jenny nipped at Vastra's bottom lip softly. The Silurian raised a scaled eyebrow at her and the girl giggled slightly through the tears that were just beginning to dry on her cheeks. Jenny hadn't been sure of how Silurians kissed the first time that she had locked lips with her mistress and she had been somewhat surprised to find that Vastra was more gentle than she had expected. She was still curious, however, about how it would be to kiss Vastra if they were to go any further than just the chaste kisses that they had shared up until that point. Carefully Jenny traced the outline of her mistress' lips with her index finger, following the line with her eyes as she did so.

"Is it normal for your species to kiss?" she whispered, not wanting to break the moment but finding that her curiosity got the better of her.

"Only with those who we truly care for," was the reply and Jenny felt her heart rate increase as the words engulfed her mind "kissing is very intimate to Silurians my dear, most never find a partner who they feel so strongly about that they feel they can share such an experience."

"You really care that much for me...?" It felt as though Jenny's heart might explode it was beating with such ferocity by that point. Her mind was a swarm of feelings and thoughts but the most prominent was the feel of those lips and the need to keep her mistress as close as she could that night. As Vastra nodded her assent everything went numb in Jenny's mind and she allowed the Silurian to recapture her lips, holding the woman so close that she was sure Vastra would be able to feel the rate of her heart. Without much knowledge of what she was doing through her hazed mind Jenny's instincts took over and before she knew what she was doing she had begun to run her tongue along Vastra's lips, wanting to feel the woman's devious tongue against her own. Vastra, however, was not so sure. Slowly she pulled herself back from Jenny and in her eyes Jenny could see a certain amount of apprehension.

"Darling, I don't know if that's such a good idea..." Vastra knew how dangerous her tongue was, it was one of the most deadly things about her. With a single touch she could paralyze a full grown man, letting her venom kill him slowly and surely. The thought that she could lose control and do the same to Jenny made her feel sick to her stomach. And yet, the girl seemed so sure that she was safe.

"I trust you" Jenny whispered, pressing a kiss to the end of the Silurian's nose. "I'm not scared of you hurting me."

"Jenny, if I lose control even for a second..."

"You won't." There was such certainty in her voice that Vastra couldn't suppress a smile. To know that Jenny trusted her so much gave her a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach and as they resumed the kiss she allowed herself to relax into the sofa and, when Jenny's tongue once again begged entrance, she parted her lips and entwined her tongue with the girl's own.

For hours they sat like that, alternating between passionate kisses and small pecks peppered over each of their faces. Jenny remained sat on Vastra's lap and when they took breaks from kissing they would simply hold each other close and listen to the sound of their breathing in unison. Eventually, Vastra's eye caught sight of the clock on the mantel piece and she sat up abruptly, startling Jenny who yelped in shock and tightened her grip on the Silurian for fear of sliding onto the floor.

"What's wrong?" She asked, frowning at the sudden change in Vastra's demeanour.

"I was supposed to be out working by now" Vastra sounded mildly annoyed with herself but deep down she knew she was happier where she was. She looked at her sweet Jenny still perched on her lap and tried to soften her features into a smile. "I suppose one night off wouldn't kill me."

"I should 'ope not. It'd be a terrible shame if I couldn't keep you all to myself some nights" a small giggle lightened Jenny's voice and Vastra couldn't quite decide if she was supposed to be flattered or aroused at such a suggestion. She felt a little of both but that night was not the right time for their relationship to go any further and she knew that. She would settle for just keeping her lovely little human girl close.

"It's late," Jenny commented, checking the time herself "perhaps we should get some sleep."

"Would you stay with me tonight?" Jenny's heart raced at the suggestion and for a moment she didn't know how to answer. She was sure that Vastra only meant for them to sleep but she wasn't entirely sure if she was ready to share her mistress' bed just yet. Sensing her hesitation Vastra planted a light kiss on the girl's lips and whispered, "you don't have to say yes, I'm just not sure I want to let go of you yet." She nuzzled her head against Jenny's neck and somehow the decision was made for her, she didn't want to let go of Vastra just yet either.


	11. An Intimate Encounter

**Note: **I'm in shock. I've actually gone a whole day without updating this fic, how on earth did that happen?! Well, here is the next chapter anyways and I have to say I reeeeeeally enjoyed writing this one! Just a quick note that for the next few weeks starting tomorrow I may be a fair bit slower with updates. Unfortunately my Easter break is now over and it's back to University tomorrow to finish up my first year of my degree. Give me four weeks and updates should take less time but for now you're just going to have to bear with me I'm afraid. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I promise I'll try to get the next one done as soon as I can for you all.

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

**Warning:** This is where things are starting to get a little steamier darlings so if you're not into fairly graphic interspecies lesbian sex I suggest you stop reading about now (or just skip the sex bits, your choice). Honestly though, if you don't like this sort of thing then I have no idea why you're reading an M rated fic... just saying!

~.~.~.~.~.~

As Jenny opened her eyes there was a moment when she couldn't remember where she was. She knew she was in a bed and in the house on Paternoster Row, but she wasn't in her own room and for the life of her she couldn't figure out which room she was in. It wasn't until she became aware of the feeling of an arm around her waist and a cool body pressed to her back that she remembered what had happened the night before and why she was now waking up to find herself in Vastra's bed. As the memories began to spark back to life in her mind a small smile crept onto Jenny's face and she gently caressed the arm Vastra had curled around her waist, lovingly stroking the cool scales with the tips of her fingers. The Silurian's grip tightened on the girl as she felt her warm fingers trailing up the length of her forearm and Vastra groaned slightly, not entirely pleased about being woken from her slumber despite the pleasant way in which it had been done. Jenny rolled over in her mistress' arms as she groaned in displeasure and she wrapped her own arms around the other woman's neck, drawing lines up and down from just above her shoulder blades to the very top of her neck and back again with the tips of her fingers. The purring sound that Vastra often made when Jenny caressed her in just the right way started up in the back of the Silurian's throat and she slowly opened her eyes, peering down at the girl snuggled up in her arms.

"Good morning" she whispered, a gentle smile on her face as she pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead. Despite her previous protests to being woken so early in the day, somehow waking to the delicate little human girl in her arms made it seem like much less of a task. The warmth and comfort of her little body in such close proximity to Vastra's own filled her with life and to some extent she no longer wanted to sleep, wanting only to keep her eyes locked on her beautiful Jenny for as long as she possibly could.

"Yes, it is," the maid giggled "although, I should probably apologise ma'am, I seem to be a little late startin' my work for today." Vastra raised a scaled eyebrow in mock annoyance, biting back the chuckle that so wanted to escape her.

"Now that is just not acceptable Miss Flint, I do hope you have a good explanation as to why you are late."

"Well ma'am," the maid started, stifling her own giggles to play along with her mistress' little game "you see, I 'ad a very late night last night. I was up until the early hours of the mornin' with someone very dear to me, an' when I woke in 'er arms I just' couldn't bear to pull myself away." As she spoke Jenny took breaks here and there, pressing little kisses to Vastra's cheeks, nose and forehead whenever she felt it necessary and revelling in the way her mistress would pull her a little closer with every kiss and hold her a little tighter with every word.

"I see" Vastra murmured, leaning towards her pretty little human, holding their faces inches from each other but not allowing their lips to touch no matter how hard Jenny tried to close the gap between them. "Do you believe this woman to be more important than your duties and your job Miss Flint? I don't think spending your time idling around with some love interest pays for your food and clothes now does it?"

"Perhaps not," the girl whispered, desperately trying to capture her mistress' lips "but I'd gladly go without anythin', food an' clothin' included, just to 'old 'er in my arms an' never let go."

"Is that so?" Vastra allowed the smirk that she had been fighting back to grace her features as her fingers roamed down the contours of her maid's sides, playing with the material of her nightgown so that it bunched up slightly and a little more of Jenny's pale legs were uncovered beneath the bed sheets. A deep blush sprang into the girl's cheeks and she bit her lip subconsciously as she became a little more nervous. Did Vastra really want to do this now? Well, Jenny supposed it was as good a time as any, but they had only spent the night together once and Jenny was such a good girl under normal circumstances, she wasn't sure she was ready to be so risqué despite her willingness to talk as though she was.

Vastra must have sensed her trepidation as she lifted her hands to cup Jenny's face, finally closing the gap between them and kissing her with such love and care that it seemed the women may never part from one another again if they could help it. "We don't have to do anything if you don't want to my dear" her voice was so soft and understanding, a voice that anyone who were to see Vastra in a split second would not believe the woman was capable of. "I want you to be happy."

"I am 'appy... I'm just nervous." Jenny's gaze dropped and for the first time Vastra began to realise just how young her darling girl really was. The maid was so intelligent and wise, so full of life and yet so tired from hardships that often she seemed far older than she was and it was easy for Vastra to forget that Jenny really was still a child. She was only seventeen. Vastra couldn't even remember being that age herself. It seemed so long ago, such a distant past, her youth and innocence long gone. Jenny's big, dark eyes gazed up at Vastra and the woman's heart melted with every second she looked into their depths.

"Have you never...?" the girl shook her head. "Then I can wait, my love... we can wait until you're sure you are ready." Again Jenny shook her head and warm, dainty hands enclosed around Vastra's which remained resting on either side of the girl's face.

"I don't want to wait." Her eyes slid closed and ever so slowly she moved the Silurian's hands down the length of her neck, over the slope of her shoulders and finally she allowed each scaled hand to rest on her breasts. Even through the fabric of her nightgown the cool scales of Vastra's skin made Jenny's nerves set alight and as the tingling sensation spread through her body she allowed a small sigh to escape into the room, arching her back slightly to push herself into Vastra's touch.

The Silurian could barely believe what was happening. She had wanted to be intimate with Jenny, of course, but she hadn't expected it to happen so fast. There was still a niggling thought in the back of her mind warning her that perhaps Jenny was pushing herself too far, but Vastra wasn't sure if the thought was there for Jenny's benefit of her own. Jenny was young and she did seem a little uncertain about what she was asking her mistress to do, but Vastra was also scared for herself. She knew about human biology and how, in physical terms, it was not so different from that of a Silurian, but she wanted so much for her Jenny's first time to be perfect and she was terrified of it being any less than that. Not to mention that it had been a few million years and, quite frankly, she was feeling a little out of practice.

"Jenny, are you sure about this?" Vastra attempted to hide the concern in her voice but it seeped through in her tone and her almost desperate need to be reassured. She slid her hands from the girl's chest and down to her hips. "You really have to think about this dear, it's a big step to give yourself to anyone so intimately." Jenny didn't answer with words. She knew Vastra wanted what was best for her but all worries aside Jenny knew what she wanted. She had a feeling she had known it since she'd first met the Silurian. The woman simply mesmerised her and Jenny was powerless to deny her heart what it wanted.

The maid rolled onto her back, pulling her mistress with her so that the woman was resting just above her body, looking down into her eyes. Vastra felt as though she had to be careful with the girl, treating her as though she were a china doll which she feared would break under the slightest strain or pressure. She eased herself down and kissed Jenny softly, bringing their lips together again and again and eventually allowed her tongue to slip past the girl's lips, challenging Jenny's own to a duel which neither would win nor lose. The Silurian's tongue was agile and quick, it threaded itself over and under the girl's making movements Jenny had not even known to be possible when kissing. The girl moaned softly into her lover's mouth as a scaled hand re-found her breast, joining Vastra's tongue in its onslaught of her body.

In all of the times she had imagined being with another woman for the first time not once had Jenny imagined it quite as it was. Until lately she would never have dreamed of giving everything she was to a reptilian woman who out aged her by millions of years. She couldn't have foreseen the bed, the room, the woman, the perfect time of day when she was awake but still in the relaxed state that sleep had bestowed upon her. She couldn't have imagined any of it but it just felt right and no matter how closely Jenny looked for an answer as to why, there simply wasn't one.

As Vastra's hand massaged Jenny's breast, the other supporting her weight over the girl, she shortened the kisses she planted on the her lips until she was trailing them all along her jaw line and down to the point where her neck met her shoulder. As she kissed her lovers skin she allowed her tongue to flick out, tasting every feeling of passion and lust, apprehension and nervousness and excitement, but over all of that was something that almost made Vastra's heart stop in her chest. She was sure she could taste love on Jenny's skin. Neither of them had used the word thus far but the Silurian's tongue never lied and she allowed the luscious flavour of that one emotion to fill her up entirely as she shifted her weight and let her other hand begin to wonder.

With both hands now free the Silurian slowly slid both lower under the bed sheets. Jenny could feel the fingers grazing against her body as they descended, first to her stomach, then her hips, past her thighs and finally to the edge of her night gown bunched up just above her knees where the cool scales made contact with warm flesh. Jenny gasped involuntarily at the sudden contact of cold and warmth and her eyes snapped shut. Vastra noticed how the girl's cheeks flushed a deep rose colour and her lips had swollen slightly from the kisses they had shared. She didn't think she had seen anything more beautiful in her entire life than Jenny looked in that moment of anticipation as her eyes snapped shut and she waited to be exposed to her mistress' loving gaze.

Vastra moved slowly as she slid down Jenny's body to join her hands by the girl's knees. Softly she peppered kisses over first the right knee and then the left, looking up at the girl every now and then to ensure she was still comfortable. After one last glance at Jenny's face, eyes still closed, cool hands slipped the material of Jenny's dress further up her thighs and Vastra continued to shower kisses on every inch of skin that she unveiled. Higher and higher she went until the cloth of the skirt passed over the girl's hips and Vastra let out a soft growl at the sight before her. It was the first time she had ever become so personal with a human and, although she had read about the human body in books, it had not been nearly as erotic as viewing one for herself as her Jenny lay exposed before her. Vastra seemed mesmerised, her eyes roaming up and down from Jenny's delicate feet to the deep darkness of her own eyes which had cracked open and were now regarding Vastra closely.

"Why 'ave you stopped?" she asked, stroking her mistress' cheek lightly and pulling the woman back up to her. This time Vastra made no attempt to hold her weight off of Jenny and she lay with her body pressed against the girl's own.

"You're just so beautiful." With a small smile she shifted her weight slightly as she slid Jenny's nightdress off over her head and within seconds she was once again planting kisses over every inch of snowy skin that she could reach. She could feel the girl caressing the back of her head as she kissed her neck, her chest, her stomach and her hips. Warm fingers traced the crests on Vastra's head and made the woman more desperate for the girl than she'd though was even possible. As Jenny guided her mistress back up to kiss her lips once more the Silurian's fingers wondered between the girl's thighs and as they encountered soft dark curls and found their way underneath the maid let out a moan which Vastra immediately absorbed into a deep and loving kiss. Her fingers began to circle Jenny's clit slowly and the maid's moans became louder and more desperate with each movement. There was something unearthly about the way the Silurian's fingers moved and Jenny wondered if it was unique to her species or if it was a skill that all women possessed.

Jenny clung onto her mistress tightly, kissing her deeper and deeper as the woman's fingers continued to tease her clit. Each movement was slow and steady but it wasn't enough. The maid wrapped one leg around Vastra's waist and looked up into Cerulean eyes silently begging for the speed to change or for something more than the torturously slow fingers that were teasing her into a frenzy. Vastra was still determined to be careful and gentle with her sweet little maid but Jenny was beginning to fear that she may lose her mind from want if the Silurian didn't give her more soon. In an attempt to urge the woman on Jenny broke the deep kiss that the pair had been locked in and twisted her head to her mistress' neck where she nipped sharply at the sensitive area between each emerald scales. As the maid's sharp little teeth caught hold of Vastra's neck pleasure seemed to flood her mind and, almost unable to control herself, the Silurian thrust a finger into the girl so suddenly that Jenny cried out, her back arching and her head turning to the side so that her face was buried in the piles of pillows that surrounded them.

"Oh Vastra" She groaned, a slight hiss drawing out the other woman's name in a way that made the mistress of the house quicken her pace, wanting nothing more than to hear her name on the maid's lips over and over again until the sound was embedded in her memory forever.

Jenny was writhing and moaning non-stop as the Silurian added another finger and quickened her pace, her thumb angled at just the right angle so that it pressed against Jenny's clit with each thrust and the girl was pushed to the point where, no matter how hard she moaned, she had become incapable of making any sort of sound whatsoever. Slim fingers gripped the bed sheets tightly to one side of her while the other hand held Vastra's head close, her lips attached to the side of the girl's neck and her wicked tongue pressing against the girl's pulse point. Jenny could no longer think. Her sight was cut off as she squeezed her eyes shut so as to enjoy every sensation in full. Every nerve in her body seemed to burn with desire and as Vastra curled her fingers inside of her, Jenny's mouth dropped open in a silent scream of bliss. There was a tension building inside of her and as Vastra kissed her one last time it seemed to erupt throughout her entire body, sending sparks flying in her mind and a loud moan echoing from her lips.

~.~.~.~.~.~

As Jenny's mind began to clear and she opened her eyes she found that Vastra had moved to lay beside her, one arm draped over her stomach while she showered kisses over the maid's neck and shoulder. Sensing the dark eyes watching her Vastra peered up at Jenny looking entirely pleased with herself.

"Ah, you're back with me then," she whispered, leaning back and resting against the pillows without removing her gaze from Jenny's own, "I was beginning to think I might have broken you."

"I thought you might 'ave done too for a moment" the maid giggled, her voice breaking slightly as the strain she had placed on it became evident. From somewhere within she found the strength to roll over, resting her head on Vastra's shoulder as the other woman wrapped her arms securely around her waist. "That was the most wonderful thing I've ever experienced in my life" The Silurian could barely suppress the grin that spread over her face as Jenny's words reached her and she pressed a kiss to the top of the girl's head. "Where did you learn 'ow to do that?"

"One doesn't learn how to make love Jenny, not really. It's just something you know." Vastra laughed softly as she looked down at the girl once again curled up in her arms. "Instincts are wonderful things are they not?"

"I would imagine so, it you 'ave 'em, I 'ave a feelin' mine must be faulty. Honestly I 'ad very little idea what was 'appenin' just now."

"It certainly didn't seem that way" Vastra smirked a little to herself and Jenny found herself blushing furiously. "At any rate, it was clear you were enjoying yourself... you really do look quite lovely when you climax my dear." Jenny tried to hide her face in the sheets but Vastra wouldn't let her, laughing as she kissed her pretty little human and stroked her cheek with her fingertips, muttering "so lovely" over and over again.

"I suppose I should make a start on my jobs ma'am," Jenny sighed after the pair emerged from a short kissing session "it seems we've managed to miss breakfast altogether." Her dark eyes flicked over to the clock by the bed which read 12 o'clock and she groaned a little louder than expected. She knew she had a job to do but in all honesty Jenny had no wish to move from where she was at all that day. The smell of Vastra's skin was so comforting and the warmth of her arms around her made the thought of leaving almost unimaginable.

"Is everything okay dear?" The Silurian asked, noting the sound of dissatisfaction that she herself usually made when the girl woke her in the mornings.

"Of course ma'am," Jenny muttered "I just wish I could stay 'ere and not leave for the rest of the day... actually, I'm not sure I want to leave ever again.

"Then don't." Both women smiled and Jenny snuggled closer to her mistress, entwining their legs as she held the woman close and closed her eyes.

"If you insist ma'am."


	12. A Fear Becomes Reality

**Disclaimer:** Technically I'm not sure if this counts as a disclaimer or not but the murderer that I reference in the second section of this chapter was a real murderer in 1881, I have altered the details of the time it took to catch him to suit the fic's purposes and the timeline I'm using but other than that any facts that I've included are true facts found on .

**Warning:** Violent(ish) imagery, more gory descriptions of bodies/ injuries and a shit load of emotion that has had me in tears as I've been writing this. I hope you're all prepared!

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Although Jenny knew that Vastra's job was easier to do under the cover of night the girl often spent her time while her mistress was out working worrying about all of the things that could happen to her. She was well aware that Vastra could take care of herself but the streets of London were dangerous, especially in the dark, and Jenny feared that even a trained Silurian warrior may have troubles defending herself at times. When she had first moved to work for Vastra Jenny had tried to distract herself with tasks such as improving her reading or attempting to teach herself to write but as time went on it seemed that even these distractions lost their effectiveness and more often than not Jenny would find her mind wondering to the Silurian out there alone on the dangerous streets of London. However, one particular night a few months after the two women had physically consummated their relationship the maid seemed to be finding it even harder than usual to distract herself from the terrible thoughts of what could happen to Vastra out there in the dark, trailing and attacking dangerous criminals without anyone to help her.

As always Jenny was curled up by the sitting room window at the front of the house, the book in her lap practically forgotten about as she stared out at the street for any sign that her love may be returning from a hard night's work. It was often difficult to determine when her mistress would return as on several occasions Vastra had been waylaid on her way home from a job (saving someone or another usually) and when she finally did find her way through the front door she would not have had the time to so much as remove her hood before Jenny had thrown herself into her arms, berating her for being late and the worry she had caused the girl while holding her so tightly that the Silurian feared she may collapse from the inability to catch her own breath. Despite this, however, the maid had come to know that Vastra would always have returned by two in the morning, no matter what other distractions she may have faced on the journey home.

Jenny had been checking the clock every five minutes or so for the past hour and each time she did so the time seemed to drag along more and more slowly. As she checked the time yet again she saw that the clock read ten past one. There was no need for her to panic, Vastra rarely re-entered the house until at least half past, but still something was unsettling the girl. Something didn't feel right. Despite her worrying there was usually a voice in the back of Jenny's head telling her how ridiculous she was being and how Vastra was perfectly capable of fighting any human who saw fit to go against her. So far though, that evening the voice had been eerily quiet and Jenny was finding it hard to ignore her fears. She kept picturing the most awful things in her mind, things that made her want to burst into tears at the mere thought of them. She pictured Vastra being overpowered by a group of men with knives and guns, Vastra being attacked from behind when she wasn't expecting it, Vastra thinking she had killed her victim only to find that the whole thing was a set up and that she had actually become the cause of her own death. The most gruesome image that seemed to recur in her mind however was one that made Jenny physically retch with the effort to hold back tears. In her mind Vastra's body had been thrown into the gutter in a similar way to how she had found Lucy's body. Her arms were not tied behind her back as Lucy's had been but chained with old, thick, rusting chains that clenched hard around her scaled wrists. The scales on her wrists seemed to have disappeared, apparently ripped off in the Silurian's struggle to free herself from her confines, and only the sensitive pale green flesh that lay under her scales remained. There was blood everywhere, pooling around her mistress' lifeless limbs, staining her perfect emerald scales a grim shade of brown, matting over their shimmering surface in a thick layer. The imaginary Vastra had claw marks down one side of her face and her right eye had swollen to the point that even if her eyes had had sight she would not have been able to see more than a blur through it. The final part of the image was the part that scared Jenny the most though. The image of Vastra had her own katana protruding from her stomach (the source of all of the blood) and the sheer possibility of Vastra losing her own weapon and being killed with it nearly sent Jenny into hysterics.

For the first time since she had sat to watch out for Vastra Jenny closed her eyes tightly, trying so desperately to shut out the thoughts and the images each of which were breaking her heart more and more. She tried to convince herself that she was worrying too much, and that realistically there was no reason for her to think Vastra would have been hurt or killed but her heart did not want to release its fears. Why? Why was she so scared that night when every other night she would only begin to worry as the night got later. Vastra had never been badly hurt before, so there was no reason for Jenny to think she may have been. She was desperate to believe that her mind was fooling her, that she was just tired and it was making her irrational. But as she sat there, her eyes closed tightly and her fingers clutching the book in her lap as though it was the only thing standing between her and death, she heard a faint knock on the front door.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Vastra pressed her body flat against the brick wall, hiding herself in the shadows as best she could as her eyes trailed across the street before her. Her cloak was pulled tightly around her, both to conceal her appearance and to protect her from the slight chill that still remained in the London air as winter was slowly beginning to slip away and spring crept in to take its place. Her task that night was simple, to apprehend and, if needs be, kill Dr. George Henry Lamson. Personally she would much prefer the latter task, however Scotland Yard had been very clear - Dr Lamson had only killed one man, and it had purely been for monetary benefit, they wanted him locked away, not dead.

The case of Dr Lamson sickened Vastra to her stomach. The man was a morphine addict and when he had found himself low on funds he had chosen to kill his eighteen year old, handicapped, brother-in-law as a way of bringing his family estate funds into his domestic control. It was bad enough that the pathetic excuse for a man had turned against a family member, so young and helpless, but what made it worse for Vastra was the method. Dr Lamson had poisoned the boy. Obviously she was glad that there had been no physical wound or anything too gruesome or torturous for the victim to endure, but in her eyes only a coward would use poison. Someone who was so afraid of getting caught that they couldn't even let their victim know who had taken their life. At least murderers who used guns or knives had enough self respect to own up to their crimes, 'The Slight-of-Hand Poisoner' as Scotland Yard had referred to Lamson in the notes they had given her didn't even have the nerve to admit to the wrong he had done.

Vastra had been tailing Lamson for around two months, getting her bearings on his routine, how he concealed himself, the people he spoke to and the places he went to. Realistically she should have had the case closed within a few weeks, and she would have done had it not been for the man's skill in slipping under her nose just as she was about to strike. The past two times she had attempted to imprison him he had found some way out of it and Vastra couldn't figure out for the life of her how he was doing it. This night though things were different. She had been very careful to avoid her target for a few days, only checking in to ensure he hadn't decided to run off somewhere. The way she saw it, often human's could subconsciously tell when they were being watched and followed so the Silurian had opted to lull Lamson into a false sense of security. He wouldn't be expecting her to be waiting there that night.

Vastra knew that Lamson liked his routines, and it was very rare that he did not stick to them. Hence, Vastra found herself hidden in the shadows waiting for her target to exit the den of criminals where he would get his fix of morphine that night. However, she was surprised to find that as she waited she saw Lamson walking towards the den as opposed to away from it as she had expected. He seemed nervous and as he walked she could see him twitching. Every few steps the man would have to stop, a look of pure agony on his face that Vastra only caught sight of as he clutched a nearby lamp post to steady himself as pain seemed to shoot through every part of his body. She supposed this must have been what happened when addicts went without the drug that they craved for too long.

Sensing his weakness the Silurian decided that waiting for Lamson to get his fix would not be of any benefit to her and so she began to move swiftly and silently through the darkness. Vastra made sure to keep to the shadows, knowing all too well that darkness was a friend to those who knew how to use it. As she neared the man still clutching the post she allowed a low hiss to reverberate through the air, making sure that she was well hidden so that Lamson (his nerves still heightened) looked up abruptly, trying to find the source of the unearthly sound.

"W...who's t...there...?" he stuttered, clinging onto the lamp post even more tightly as though he believed he could lift it and use it as a weapon should he find himself in danger. Carefully Vastra shifted to the other side of the road, just behind the Lamson and the lamp post. She was visible now but he still hadn't spotted her. As she stood there he was slowly backing away from the darkness before him, seemingly unaware that he was backing directly into the hold of the woman sent to arrest him. It wasn't until Vastra grabbed him by the back of his shirt and dragged him into the darkness that Dr. Lamson even realised she was there. As her strong arms dragged him down a darkened alley way a short way from the lamp post he attempted to shout, to break free, really to do anything he could to get away from his captor. He was writhing and wriggling, still twitching every now and again and she had to throw him against the wall before he went limp and stopped fighting, just lay sprawled on the floor, twitching repeatedly.

"Dr. Lamson," she hissed softly at the scared eyes staring up at her "I really must commend you on your ability to avoid arrest for so long, not many are capable of escaping me if I have my mind set on their capture, however you have done very well in that respect. Until just now, that is." She was about to reach for the rope she had stowed away to assist in her target's capture when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her side. She didn't flinch, didn't make a sound, but she knew she had let her guard down too easily. She could feel the metal of a blade in her side. She could feel her blood beginning to spill out onto the filthy London streets. Fear sprang into her mind and in a moment all thoughts of her job and capturing Dr Lamson disappeared. All she wanted was to get out. In the same instant as she felt the blade slide out from her side Vastra span and clawed at her attacker, feeling her claws catch some sort of flesh, before she fled.

Her cloak billowed around her as she ran and all Vastra could think of was home. Jenny. Safety and warmth. How could she have been so stupid? She had forgotten to check around herself before pulling Lamson down that alley. One of the criminals from the den must have seen her grab him. They must have known him or been a friend of his, and on seeing him dragged away they must have immediately followed, seeing their best option in attacking when she wasn't prepared. She dared not stop running, feeling the blood pouring down her side she knew it would only be a matter of time before she was too weak to carry on and she had to get home before that or... No. She wouldn't think like that. She wouldn't stop until she reached her own front door, not even if that meant dragging herself along the floor until she got there.

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Jenny had run to the door faster than she had ever thought she was capable of moving and as soon as she opened it she knew something was wrong. Vastra was holding herself up against the doorframe with all of her weight pressed into the wood. Her hood was dangerously close to falling off and revealing her scaled and crested head to any human who walked past and Jenny could see that she was even having difficulty keeping her eyes open.

"Ma'am?" The second she saw the state Vastra was in Jenny's heart began to race and she immediately slipped out of the house to support her across the threshold. Helping her mistress up the stairs to her bedroom was no easy fete and, although it took a lot more effort on her part than she had expected (Vastra was seriously having trouble standing up without support), the maid eventually managed to get Vastra onto her bed. It wasn't until Vastra was laid out on her bed and Jenny had lit the candles and removed her mistress' cloak that she realised what had happened. The whole right side of the Silurian's cloak and battle suit were drenched in blood, Jenny could barely believe Vastra was still standing with the amount she seemed to have lost. Trying to stem the blood as best she could Jenny took off her apron and pressed it to the wound she'd managed to locate just above Vastra's hip. It wasn't too deep, thank god, but still the woman had lost far too much blood for her liking and Jenny packed her apron into the wound as tightly as she could to stop any further blood loss as much as she could.

"Vastra?" The Silurian looked at Jenny with dazed eyes at the sound of her name. She didn't entirely seem to understand what was going on, the maid wasn't even sure if Vastra realised where she was or how she had got there. "Vastra, darlin', I need you to 'old this in place for me." Jenny took one of her hands and pressed it to the apron, trying to persuade her mistress to use any strength she could to stem the bleeding. "Please, Vastra you 'ave to 'old it there tight. I'll only be a minute, I promise, just don't let go or loosen your grip. Promise me." compliant as a young child the woman merely nodded, holding the apron as tightly as her strength would allow until a few minutes later Jenny returned with a small box and a bowl of boiling water in her hands.

Jenny could tell that Vastra wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer. It seemed as though there was no energy or life left in her at all and the maid had to fight back tears as she watched her poor, darling Vastra looking so helpless and weak. It was breaking her heart with every second that passed.

Quickly forcing herself to focus Jenny took a pair of scissors from her sewing box and cut through Vastra's battle suit, pulling the blood stained garment away until she could see the injury properly. For a moment the image of Vastra's corpse that had plagued her only ten minutes previously sprang back to life at the sight of the blood matted scales and Jenny had to force the thought to the back of her mind. She had to focus. Vastra needed her. She cleaned the wound quickly and with precision that a war nurse would be proud of in the circumstances but then Jenny froze. It had never occurred to her before but she had no idea how best to approach a stab wound when scales were involved. She knew that for a human one would just sew and bandage the wound, but could you sew up a wound with scales in the way? Surely not.

"Vastra... your wound... the scales... I don't know how to..." It was no use. Vastra was barely acknowledging her attempts at communication, her mind too fogged to hear much at all. The Silurian's head had lolled to the side on the pillows and her eyes were drifting closed ever so slowly. Jenny didn't want to panic, she knew that would be no help to either of them, but what was she supposed to do? Deciding she would rather not do more damage to her poor love than had already been done Jenny bandaged Vastra's wound tightly, praying that it would be enough to stop the bleeding, then proceeded to clean up all of the mess.

~.~.~.~.~.~

She couldn't sleep. She was too scared to. The images of everything that had just passed kept flicking through her mind. So much blood, and Vastra so helpless. When she finally allowed herself to sit down on the bed beside her mistress, her love, Jenny's mind was buzzing with every heart breaking thing she had just encountered. For a second as she sat there she felt empty, then all at once every painful or negative emotion a human could possibly feel seemed to engulf her and she burst into tears. As Jenny cried and cried the girl lifted Vastra's hand to her heart and held it there. If she could have given the Silurian every ounce of life in her little body she would have done it. Jenny would have given anything for this not to be happening. What was she supposed to do if she lost Vastra? She had become so used to their lives together in the past few months that she wasn't sure she knew any other way of living any more. And besides, where was the point in a life where the woman she cared for - no, the woman she loved wasn't there. The tears didn't stop and Jenny lifted Vastra's hand to her lips, kissing it softly and whispering over and over. "Please god, no... she has to be okay."


	13. I Love You

**Note:** Hello my lovelies, so new chapter for you and this one made me incredibly happy to write. I just wanted to thank you all again for your continued support and feedback, it really does mean the world to me. Also, after reading over the last chapter I noticed that I made a few small errors in dialect and grammar towards the end. Chances are a lot of you won't have noticed but for those of you who did I do apologise. In my defence I was writing it at about 2am and by the time I'd finished I was just too tired to read it over and I just wanted to get it posted for you all to read. Hopefully I won't make mistakes like that too often but if I do chances are it's because of late night/early morning writing and this is me apologising in advance. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please keep the feedback coming, I love to know what you're all thinking of it.

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

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For days Jenny sat by Vastra's side as she slept, only leaving when she absolutely had to and returning as quickly as she possibly could, finding it worried her too much to leave the woman alone. In the time since the night of the attack Vastra had been so weak and ill that Jenny dared not leave her for too long in fear that things could get worse and her mistress may need her for some reason. She knew that she was being silly, that really she only need be there for meals or when she needed to change the Silurian's bandages and check that the stab wound was healing properly, but still she couldn't bring herself to leave her love's side.

Jenny hadn't slept properly since the night of the attack. Every time she would lay down and close her eyes her dreams would be filled with blood and pain and the terror she had felt at the prospect of losing her mistress and before ten minutes had passed she would wake, hyperventilating and with tears rolling down her cheeks. Some nights she had found herself in such distress that she had somehow even managed to wake Vastra from her seemingly endless slumber and in all honesty she resented herself for disrupting the rest that her love so clearly needed if she were ever to recover. Vastra, however, never complained. On nights when she would be woken by the pained noises reverberating from her darling Jenny next to her she would simply pull the girl close to her and wrap her arms securely around her waist. She never asked what was wrong. She didn't have to. Vastra knew Jenny was scared. She could vaguely remember returning home that night and the look on her maid's face at the sight of her had nearly broken her heart. The Silurian had never seen anyone look more terrified in all of her life, something almost unheard of considering who and what she was. Words were never shared in those times late at night while Vastra comforted Jenny. There was nothing she could say that would make things better, all she could do was hold the maid close and hope that it would comfort Jenny enough to let her sleep for at least a little longer.

Usually Vastra spent most of her time asleep. She would wake when Jenny needed her to eat or insisted on checking the wound but as soon as the girl had finished with her the Silurian would bury herself amongst the pillows once more and allow herself to be consumed by sleep. It was strange to Jenny. She had treated friends with injuries similar to Vastra's before but never had she seen anyone in such need of constant sleep as her mistress afterwards. She wondered if perhaps the Silurian body would take longer to heal than a human's. Of course, Jenny still knew very little about the biology of how Vastra's body worked and since the woman was rarely awake long enough for her to ask she had to content herself with her own theories on the matter.

It wasn't until a week and a half had passed that Vastra properly awoke for the first time since the attack. It was late at night as the Silurian's eyes flicked open and for a moment she wondered if she had heard Jenny crying again and that it was that which had woken her. She looked to the bed beside her but Jenny wasn't there. It seemed odd that the maid had gone, it had been a rare occurrence in that past week for Vastra to wake without the girl there holding her hand and she began to worry about where Jenny could be. Slowly she pulled herself up slightly to lean her back against the pillows, a dull pain throbbing in her side where the stab wound was still healing. It took a little effort but eventually she managed to adjust herself into a comfortable position from which she could survey the room. The door was closed. Jenny never closed the door when she left. When Vastra had asked why during the few minutes it took for the girl to change her bandages a few days before Jenny had been hesitant to answer but eventually the girl had admitted that she was worried that if the door was closed and Vastra called for her she wouldn't be able to hear her. It did occur to the Silurian that perhaps Jenny had not expected her to be awake so late at night, but then again, she had rarely been awake at all as of late and that hadn't stopped the girl from leaving the door open every time she left to do some small task. Her eyes scanned the rest of the room and as they landed on the window to the side of the bed it suddenly made sense to Vastra why the door was closed - Jenny hadn't actually gone anywhere.

The curtains had been pulled back so that moonlight flooded into the room and silhouetted against the ethereal glow Vastra could see the girl curled in the window seat. Jenny's knees were pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around them as though in an attempt to protect herself from the night. The white fabric of her nightdress had bunched up slightly so that her legs were on show from just above the knee and the pale flesh was illuminated by the light of the moon. Jenny seemed to be transfixed by the great pale orb in the sky, her forehead rested lightly against the glass of the window, her hair rolling in a waterfall down her back, and her eyes stared up at the sky, the moon and the stars keeping the girl company in the quiet hours of the night. Vastra sighed softly at the sight of it. She knew that Jenny had stopped attempting to sleep in the past few nights, she had seen how tired the girl looked during the day as she cared for her, but she hadn't imagined that this had been how she had been spending her time. She wandered what she was thinking. Jenny had never seemed the religious type but a part of Vastra wondered if maybe the girl prayed when she was really hurting or afraid. She certainly looked angelic by the light of the moon, but perhaps the Silurian was biased in thinking so.

"Jenny...?" The girl's head flicked around abruptly at the sound of her name rolling from the tip of her mistress' tongue. She hadn't thought Vastra would wake while she was sat there, she hadn't woken of her own accord in so long that Jenny had almost forgotten that the Silurian was even capable of doing so.

"Ma'am?" she started, her voice breaking slightly. It was the first time she'd properly spoken in a while and the strain made it hard for her to find the right pitch for her voice. "What are you doin' awake? You don't need to be up for a fair few hours yet."

"I could say the same to you..." Vastra hated seeing Jenny so worried because of her, she wished with all of her heart that she had been more alert that night and that she had never gotten hurt, but she knew wishing would fix nothing. She had to find a way to help Jenny to feel comfortable again, not sleeping would make her ill and that was the last thing Vastra wanted.

"I 'aven't been sleepin' well, you know that." Jenny's eyes seemed sad and she looked exhausted. As the girl lifted herself from the window seat and made her way back over to the bed Vastra watched her every move. The maid kept her hands clutched in front of her body, her fingers fidgeting tirelessly, a nervous habit that Vastra had noticed the girl had developed since she had been injured. As Jenny lowered herself onto the bed and sat by Vastra's side the Silurian pulled her hands apart, holding one hand in each of her own.

"Why is it that you cannot sleep my dear? I know you've been having nightmares but you never tell me what they are about." Vastra tried so hard to hold Jenny's gaze but the girl had been finding it difficult to look at her mistress as of late without the dreams and memories being brought to the forefront of her mind. Her eyes wondered down to rest on their hands clasped between them and she sighed, feeling tears brimming in her eyes.

"Just bad things ma'am" she whispered. She didn't want Vastra to blame herself. She knew what the Silurian could be like. She always blamed herself when Jenny was upset or hurting even if it had nothing to do with her. She would claim that it was her job to protect Jenny and keep her happy, and if the girl wasn't happy then she had failed in her job as her partner. Vastra shook her head at the maid's response and Jenny could just see the look of hurt on her mistress' face out of the corner of her eye. She knew she couldn't lie to Vastra, the woman knew her too well and Jenny knew it hurt her when she tried to hide the truth from her. Sighing, the girl closed her eyes letting a tear roll down her cheek, "it 'urts to think about it..."

"It's my fault, isn't it" the Silurian murmured, "it's because of all of this."

"No." Jenny looked Vastra directly in the eye, trying to hold back the tears still seeping out and rolling over her cheeks. "Stop it. I won't 'ave you blamin' yourself for this. This is not your fault, none of it. Okay?"

"But it is what the nightmares are about..." Jenny nodded. The images were creeping to the forefront of her mind once more and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to black them out. It didn't work. It wasn't until she felt Vastra pull her closer, still grasping her hands, and press a kiss gently to her forehead that she let herself open her eyes again.

"I thought I was goin' to lose you..." The words were barely audible and Jenny's heart felt as though it was shattering at just the memory of those feelings. "When I opened the door an' saw you there, you couldn't stand on your own an' your skin was so pale it was almost grey, all I could think was 'ow the 'ell I was supposed to cope if I lost you... an' I realised that I don't think I could. I think if I lost you I'd fall to pieces." Vastra slid one of her hand's from Jenny's grip and ever so carefully caressed the delicate skin of her cheek. The girl's skin was so warm and soft and beautiful, even with the tear tracks marring their flawless surface Vastra couldn't help but marvel at how lovely she was. It both touched her and broke her heart to think that without her this sweet girl wouldn't know how to carry on. While the love she held for Jenny swelled deep in her heart at the thought of it a small part of her had to remind the Silurian that her work was dangerous. The stab wound on her side was proof that she could be taken from life at any moment and to think that that would mean taking her from Jenny was almost too much for Vastra to bear.

"You didn't lose me though" Vastra whispered, trying to reassure herself as much as she wanted to reassure Jenny.

"But I could 'ave. I nearly did. Vastra, I don't know if I can just keep sittin' 'ere waitin' for you to come 'ome night after night. I've seen what can 'appen to you out there. I don't want to 'ave to do this again if there's any other way I could stop you gettin' 'urt." Vastra frowned, not understanding what Jenny meant. There was no way for her to protect her. More than anything Vastra wished that there was a way for her to stay safe for her darling girl but there just wasn't.

"Jenny, my work is dangerous, I warned you of that when you came to work for me."

"I know. An' that's why I want you to teach me." Vastra froze, eyes fixed on Jenny and filled with curiosity. Surely she wasn't suggesting what Vastra thought she was.

"You want me to teach you?"

"Yes. Everythin' you know about fightin' an' weapons, I want to know everythin' an' I want to be able to fight." There was such certainty in Jenny's expression and voice that Vastra couldn't avoid the truth in the girl's seriousness.

"But why?" Vastra knew the answer before she'd even heard it. Jenny had said that she couldn't keep sitting around and waiting for her to return from work so her solution was to join her.

"I can't let you keep goin' out there on your own, you need someone to look after you an' I sure as 'ell don't trust anyone else to do it properly." Vastra looked as though she was about to protest, to tell Jenny that she wouldn't let her get involved in something so dangerous. Jenny was sure the Silurian was as scared of losing her as she had been of losing Vastra but she just couldn't carry on the way they were. Letting Vastra go out alone every night into the dangerous streets of London was almost killing her with worry. At least if she was there with her they could protect each other. There was no doubt in Jenny's mind that this was what she wanted and she was not going to let her mistress say no.

Vastra's mind was racing. How could the girl be serious about this. She admired Jenny's courage and her determination to help but it was far more dangerous for her to be out on those streets than it was for Vastra herself. The Silurian had been trained to fight since she was hatched. It was second nature to her to fight. And her scales were like an armour in comparison to Jenny's perfect and yet weak human skin. She couldn't possibly expect Vastra to agree to it. Surely she knew that the Silurian cared for her far too much to let her put herself in danger like that. Vastra opened her mouth to speak but Jenny pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her immediately.

"No arguments," she whispered, sliding over so that she was sat facing her mistress, leaning over her so that one hand supported her weight on the other side of Vastra's legs and her face was in line with that of the Silurian's. "Please Vastra, no argument. If you don't teach me then I will find a way to teach myself. I mean it. I can't bear the waitin' and not knowin' if you're okay or not any longer." She leaned in and kissed Vastra's cheek lightly, making sure that she kept very little distance between them as, for the first time, she let three little words pass her lips. "I love you."

For a moment Vastra thought she had misheard what Jenny had said. She stared into the girl's eyes, so close to her own that she could see every shade of brown and hazel and gold that made up the pools that she often lost herself in. For so long she had wanted to say those words herself and had avoided it for fear of it being too soon or the girl not reciprocating her feelings but in that moment when she could say it without fear she was frozen. She willed her lips to move but they wouldn't. Her voice was stopped in shock. A small smile tugged at the corners of Jenny's mouth and all of a sudden Vastra couldn't control herself. She reached out and wrapped her hand gently around the back of Jenny's neck, pulling the girl across the last little gap that separated them until their lips were locked in a fierce battle. Every ounce of love that they felt for each other was pushed into that kiss and Vastra began to feel a little dizzy from the pure emotion running through her body, filling her up and bursting out into the searing kiss the two women shared.

"I love you" she whispered between kisses, her fingers tangling in the girl's soft, dark hair to pull her closer. "I love you with all of my heart Jenny, and I always will."


	14. Learning and Loving

**Warning:** More graphic interspecies lesbian sex, YAY! As always I suggest you stop reading or just skip the sex bits if it's not your cup of tea.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Jenny's back hit the floor with a loud crack and the air was knocked out of her body with such ferocity that the girl almost felt as though she was about to black out. As she lay there, staring at the ceiling and attempting to catch her breath there was a moment when she almost regretted insisting that Vastra taught her to fight. The Silurian certainly wasn't supposed to be a teacher and quite often she forgot that Jenny was neither as strong as her nor as quick. The girl had spent most of the past few hours either flying through the air or landing in painful positions on the hard floor and she was almost certain that every inch of her would be black and blue with bruises by the time the training session was over.

"For the last time Jenny, you have to be aware of your surroundings. This wouldn't keep happening if you were paying attention to my every move. You allow yourself to be distracted too easily." It was only their first lesson and already Vastra was getting short tempered with her. Honestly, Jenny wasn't sure if it was because of her continued failures to block her mistress or the fact that Vastra was only just strong enough to be fighting again and she had tired herself out too quickly. Either way she was not overly happy about this side of the woman.

"Yeah, well maybe it'd be a little easier for me to focus if you'd broken me in a bit more gently," Jenny groaned as she pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked over at Vastra "you pretty much just told me to be observant an' then threw me over your shoulder!" She arranged her pretty features into a pout, hoping Vastra would take pity on her and slow down a little but the Silurian just rolled her eyes and held out her hand to help the girl up.

"No one else will go easy on you my love, I'm throwing you in at the deep end for your own good... figuratively speaking of course."

Jenny barely had time to think before Vastra had grabbed hold of her arm again and twisted it around behind her back so that it was pushed up high between the girl's shoulder blades. The maid could have sworn she had felt her shoulder pop out of its joint but she tried to ignore it, determined to get out of this one before Vastra managed to throw her down to the floor yet again. She thought hard, trying to come up with the best way to manoeuvre herself out of the hold but it was no use, Vastra had neglected to actually teach her any counteractive movements probably having convinced herself that if a Silurian could learn through instinct so could a human. So, instead of fighting, Jenny decided to use the only advantage that she had over the woman. The girl straightened up, standing with her back almost pressed into Vastra despite the arm still held between them by the woman's strong arms. She lifted her free arm and curled it backwards around Vastra's neck, pulling the woman's head down over her shoulder and leaning back to kiss her deeply. Almost instantly the Silurian released her grip on Jenny's arm in shock and the girl took the opportunity to bite down on Vastra's lip and pushed her away gently. When Vastra looked back at her Jenny was grinning and looking immensely proud of herself.

"Well would you look at that," she giggled "that time I got out of it without even 'avin' to fight you." Jenny still seemed very pleased with herself but Vastra was attempting to maintain a stern countenance. She fought back the blush that wanted to creep into her cheeks, folding her arms across her chest and raising a scaled eyebrow.

"You know that move won't work on anyone else" she commented simply. "Besides, it would only delay me. Jenny you are the one who wanted to do this, are you going to try fighting back or not?"

"Maybe if you'd teach me 'ow to then I could!" Jenny snapped, a scowl wrinkling her brow and her mouth set in annoyance. She loved Vastra, but sometimes the woman really needed to think about what she was saying before she opened her mouth. Some of the things she said could be so hurtful. Realising she was in the wrong Vastra sighed and gathered the girl into her arms. Jenny didn't respond but the Silurian planted a kiss on her forehead and then trailed them all the way down to the girl's nose. She rested her head against Jenny's once they were eye to eye and attempted to look as innocent as possible.

"Don't be upset with me my dear," she pleaded, looking directly into the girl's eyes "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so uncaring. You're right, I haven't shown you what to do. Sometimes I forget... you are so much like family to me that it slips my mind that you are not of the same race and you do not know the things that I know." Jenny tried to hide it but a small smile graced her lips and Vastra grinned triumphantly, she seemed to be getting better at talking the girl around with every time she said something that she shouldn't.

"Come on then," the girl whispered, resisting the urge to kiss the woman again (close proximity always made it harder for her to resist those cool, delicious lips of Vastra's) "teach me 'ow to fight like a Silurian." Jenny allowed her mistress to spin her around so that her back was once more against the Silurian's front. Gently Vastra took hold of the girl's hips so that she could guide them (making Jenny blush slightly) and she rested her head on her shoulder.

"Okay, firstly you need to think about your balance. You're not centring yourself." She pulled Jenny's hips back towards her and moved one hand to press against the maid's stomach to straighten her back. "See, that's much better. Now, I know I've already said it but concentration is vital, you must be aware of what is going on around you at all times. For example, if I were to attack you from behind you would have to be prepared with a counter movement. Think about the night we first met..." Vastra wrapped her arm around Jenny's throat in a similar way to the thug that had held her captive that night, although admittedly with a far softer touch. "When the attacker released his hold on your hair he made a tactical error, you saw that and instinctively reacted..." The Silurian used her free hand to recreated Jenny's movements, tilting the girl's head back to mimic how she had broken the man's nose and then guiding her elbow back until it rested just under her own ribs. "The combined shock of the facial injury and the blow so close to his heart forced your attacker to release you. That is how you have to think. You must focus on overpowering your opponent, not just on your own release." Jenny nodded, she was focusing as hard as she could, attempting to take mental notes as Vastra spoke but it was a lot to take in all at once.

"Okay," Jenny murmured "I think I understand." She didn't seem particularly enthusiastic but Vastra assumed that the maid was simply deep in thought.

"Shall we try a different attack then, so that you may have the chance to consider your reactions?" The maid nodded. She made sure she had her wits about her this time, focusing on any slight sounds or movements that she could. Vastra circled her slowly, a look of hunger in her eyes that made Jenny a little uncomfortable. She tried to ignore it, focusing her mind. Suddenly, Vastra lunged towards her, taking a firm grip on her right arm. She was about to twist her body to flip the girl over her head and onto the floor when all of a sudden Jenny pulled her arm across her body with such force that her mistress was thrown to the floor at her feet and she had to release the girl's arm to catch herself before her face connected with the hard wood of the floor. As Vastra fell a sharp squeal broke free from Jenny and she knelt down beside her darling lizard, leaning over her to check her over for any sort of injury.

"I am so sorry. Are you okay? I didn't 'urt you did I? Oh, please tell me I 'aven't opened up the stab wound again. Maybe doin' all this so soon after you've recovered wasn't such a good idea ma'am." The string of words erupted from Jenny all at once without her taking a single breath and Vastra laughed as she rolled over onto her back and looked up at her sweet little human.

"I am fine dear, stop fussing. Really, you worry yourself far too much." She sat up again and Jenny was forced to move back and give her mistress some space.

"I'm allowed to worry," she muttered, a little upset that Vastra would laugh at her concern for her "just a few days ago you could still barely move from your bed, I don't want to 'urt you again when you've only just got better."

"Jenny I am a Silurian warrior, I think it will take a little more than a small fall to hurt me" Vastra smiled softly at the girl. It was so sweet when she got all worried and protective. The Silurian did fear that Jenny may have been right though, perhaps she had thrown herself back into training a little too soon. All of the excitement of fighting again was beginning to wear away at her limited supply of energy and she wasn't sure how much longer she could cope with the physical demands before she would need to take a nap. "Perhaps this would be a good time to finish for the day," she suggested "you've already managed to overpower me so you have certainly achieved something already." Jenny gave Vastra a suspicious look. She knew that her mistress may have had no more reason than to allow her a rest but something told her that there was more to it than that.

"Are you sure you're not 'urt love?"

"No my darling, just a little weary" Jenny nodded. Vastra did look worn out. The maid made a mental note to not allow her mistress to let training sessions go on for so long the next day, she didn't want the Silurian over working herself when she had only recently been so ill. Helping Vastra up she brushed off the catsuit that her mistress had had made for her to train in.

"I think I'll go an' change. As much as I like 'ow you got a corset put on this thing I'm not sure I'm comfortable enough in somethin' so tight fittin' just yet." The Silurian smirked and Jenny rolled her eyes. She knew full well that Vastra had designed the outfit herself and that she had made it so revealing for her own personal amusement but she certainly wasn't going to indulge her lizard woman's fetishes by wearing it for the rest of the night... at least, not the part when they were still down in the main house.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Jenny rolled her shoulder as the pair sat curled by the fire later that evening, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through it and trying not to show Vastra just how much it hurt. She knew the Silurian hadn't meant to hurt her but she had been so rough when pulling her arm behind her back earlier that the girl's shoulder still hadn't managed to realign itself and it had been bothering her all evening.

"Is everything okay my darling?" Vastra hissed sleepily. She had been dozing with Jenny cuddled against her shoulder but the girl's restless fidgeting was making it hard for her to stay in that blissful, half-sleeping state.

"Fine," Jenny replied, "just a little stiff from earlier, that's all." Vastra rubbed her eyes with the hand that was not wrapped around Jenny's waist and blinked a few times to wake herself up properly. She watched as the girl continued to roll her shoulder back and forth and it occurred to her that it was the same arm she had locked behind her back during their sparring.

"Did I hurt you?" All of a sudden Vastra seemed worried and she shifted uncomfortably at the thought that she could have really harmed her little human girl.

"No, no... I'm fine." She had chosen a bad time to try and protest as the second the words had passed her lips a pain as though she had been stabbed shot through her shoulder and Jenny flinched visibly, biting her lip to stop herself from crying out. Vastra sighed exasperated and turned the girl so that she could feel for any serious damage in her shoulder.

"Why did you not mention it before you silly little human?" she unbuttoned the top of Jenny's dress and slid it off of her shoulder, gently running her fingers across the girl's shoulder blade, pressing hard enough to feel a break but not so hard that it would cause any more damage. It wasn't until she reached the joint between Jenny's shoulder blade and her upper arm that the girl flinched again and Vastra grimaced slightly, realising what had happened. "I must have pulled it right out of its socket," she muttered, more to herself than to Jenny "I think it may have slid itself back into place, but I'm not surprised it's bothering you. It will need time to settle back into position, that's why it's uncomfortable. You should have told me Jenny, I could have really damaged you."

"But you didn't love, I'm okay." Vastra sighed and shook her head. She knew Jenny didn't want her worrying and treating her as though she were helpless but the girl was so fragile and easily damaged that the Silurian couldn't help but be afraid that she would break her by being so rough. She had damaged her, despite Jenny's claims in opposition. Seeing no benefit in arguing with the girl over the matter Vastra resigned herself to disagreeing with Jenny in the privacy of her own mind. She leaned down and kissed the warm flesh of the girl's shoulder, just to the side of the joint so as not to hurt her.

"I'm sorry for hurting you my dear" she whispered and kissed along her shoulder again and again, sliding between the base of Jenny's neck and the point where she had first kissed her. Jenny felt her mind begin to fog slightly at the feeling of her love's cool lips on her skin and she sighed contentedly. She had missed Vastra's kisses while the woman had been ill but the absence of the soft, cool feeling each kiss left behind had only made Jenny more eager to enjoy the feeling as Vastra kissed her skin in that moment. Jenny shifted her weight as the need for more than just those little kisses overwhelmed her and she swung her leg over Vastra so that she was straddling the other woman's lap, looking down at her with dark, loving eyes.

"I think I've missed our evenings together the most while you were ill" she whispered, softly running her fingers along the crests at the sides of Vastra's head. Her love smiled up at her lazily, her eyes hooded with both exhaustion and a hint of lust. It had been so long since she had made love to her beautiful girl and every brush of those delicate little fingers across her crests made the Silurian want to pounce on the dainty little creature and ravish every inch of her perfect little body. Something told her though that Jenny had other ideas. It didn't happen very often but whenever Jenny wanted to be in control she had a tendency to sit on her mistress in an attempt to pin her down. Of course, if Vastra had really wanted to she could easily have lifted the girl's petite little figure off of herself but she knew how rare it was for Jenny to get a chance at dominance and so when the girl wanted her turn Vastra would quietly sit back and allow her to have her way.

Jenny leaned down to Vastra and captured her lips in her own, pressing herself into the woman as their tongues wrestled out of sight and the Silurian's hands wondered up the girl's thighs to her hips. As they kissed the brunette remembered the first time she had convinced her love to allow her to take control and make love to her. Vastra had confessed at the time that she had never been overly fond of taking the submissive role, preferring to have her partners beneath her and under her complete control as she pulled them over the edge time and time again. In her previous relationships she said she had never felt entirely fulfilled when she was the one being controlled, but she also admitted that she had never felt the way she did about Jenny before. The girl had been nervous to begin with, unsure of how to make love to a woman of her own species let alone a Silurian woman, but Vastra was very patient with her guiding her hands and mouth to all of the right places until the Silurian could barely think straight through the haze of her pleasure-filled mind. It comforted Jenny to know that Vastra was not opposed to her taking control as she had been with her previous partners, she adored making her precious lizard purr and hiss as she knew only she could.

Through the searing kiss Vastra could feel Jenny's hands wondering to the back of her neck and beginning to unbutton her dress, her fingers ever so gently brushing against the scales of the woman's back as she did so. Each moment of contact felt like a gentle shock of electricity running through the Silurian's body and she mindlessly leaned forwards to allow the girl better access, forcing her body to press closer against Jenny's in the process. It had been so long since the two had been able to be together in this way and each touch and each kiss had become more desperate than the last as a result. As Jenny reached the end of the buttons on Vastra's dress she finally parted her lips from the other woman's, moving her attention to her jaw line and neck where she kissed and gently nipped at the scales and ran her tongue along the patterns they formed. Vastra was beginning to purr softly in the back of her throat, her eyes dazed and half closed as she clung onto the human girl in her lap. How did Jenny make her feel this way when so many women before her had failed? When so many Silurian women had failed. If any of Vastra's people were to see her like this they would be disgusted by how far she had lowered herself to allow herself to fall in love with an ape, but to Vastra Jenny was like no other ape she had ever met. She was worthy of being called a human. So intelligent. So beautiful. Such a wonderful, kind hearted, loving girl.

"What are you thinking about?" Jenny whispered, pulling back from her mistress for a moment to look deeply into her eyes.

"You, my love." A small smile graced the girl's pretty features and she slowly slid Vastra's dress down her arms and off of her so that it dropped to the woman's hips. Sometimes it made Jenny so sad to see Vastra's body when her dress was peeled away and only those beautiful scales were on show. It was obvious that she was a warrior, the scars drawn over her scales were proof of that. To think how often Vastra was hurt to receive those scars made Jenny's heart drop to her stomach, and yet each one was so beautiful and so much a part of who the woman was that she couldn't stop herself from loving each and every one of them with all of her heart.

Jenny lifted her hand from Vastra's shoulder where it had been resting and softly traced a pale green scar along the Silurian's collar bone with the tips of her fingers. The woman's eyes snapped shut at the feeling of it and she felt a tingling in the pit of her stomach. This was why she loved Jenny. This was why she liked the girl to touch her as she had never liked to be touched in the past. It was so gentle and pure. Jenny wasn't forceful like the others, never in such a hurry. She took her time and admired every part of Vastra's body. She observed and adored every scale and every scar with such unending love that Vastra had never experienced with anyone else. Jenny leaned down and kissed the scar she had just traced with her fingers. She liked to kiss every scar on the Silurian's body before she made love to her. She liked to let her love know how much she admired her bravery and strength but also her ability to be soft and loving at the same time. The pattern repeated as the girl travelled down the other woman's body, she would first trace the shape of each scar before kissing it and moving further down and she didn't stop until she reached the very fresh cut on her love's side which was only just beginning to heal over. That one was the hardest to look at. She had never seen how hurt Vastra had been by the other wounds, but the one on her side had caused both women so much pain that Jenny had to force herself not to tear up again at the sight of it. She felt one of Vastra's hands cupping her cheek and she knew that her mistress understood. She nuzzled against the cool scales of the Silurian's palm before kissing just to the side of the healing wound. No matter how much pain it caused her it was still proof of her darling Vastra's bravery just like the others and she couldn't leave it unacknowledged.

As Jenny looked up at the woman above her she realised that at some point she had slid onto the floor between the Silurian's legs and she wondered when exactly it had happened. Vastra was leaning back in her seat, looking down at her with those stunning cerulean eyes and she couldn't help but feel a burst of warmth and love deep in her heart. She had honestly never felt a love so strong in her entire life and it still shocked her every time she looked deep into Vastra's eyes how her heart would pound and her head would fill with the memories she had of the woman. She knelt up and kissed the Silurian's stomach as her hands wondered under her skirts and her fingers followed the pattern of scales up Vastra's thighs, higher and higher. When she reached the apex of her legs her fingers brushed against the softest most delicate scales on Vastra's body and the Silurian instantly arched her back, a sharp hiss filling the air around them. It still took Jenny a short while to adapt to the difference in her love's sex to her own whenever they made love, it was so strange to her how a species that looked so similar to her own in form could still have so many differences. There was no opening or folds of skin between the Silurian's legs, nothing even remotely similar in fact. In its place was a mound of scales that were so sensitive when touched that Vastra refused even to wear underwear (a thought which often caused Jenny to blush every time it crossed her mind which was sometimes at the most inappropriate of times much to the girl's dismay). Jenny had been so confused the first time she had ventured between Vastra's legs that the Silurian had giggled at the look on her face for a full five minutes before she had been able to show her what she was supposed to do. Obviously Jenny had been embarrassed but Vastra had just kissed her and assured her that she understood her confusion.

The girl's fingers followed the movements they had been taught on that first time, circling and swirling, following the intricate pattern of scales as closely as possible over and over again. The feeling was dizzying for Vastra and she was alternating between purring and hissing as her back arched off of the sofa. Jenny couldn't suppress a smile at the sounds that echoed from the back of the Silurian's throat. She continued her ministrations and watched as Vastra's mouth dropped open slightly and her tongue flicked out tasting the air. She knew she was sensing for her. Vastra always said that Jenny's taste was so distinct that she could sense her from miles away, but when they made love she did it to feel even closer to her. Sometimes Jenny wished she could sense, she thought it must be like an entirely different level of intimacy for Vastra from the way she so furiously tasted the air at times like those. She knelt up again, never stopping the swirling movements with her fingers, and allowed Vastra to curl her tongue around her neck, down the back of her still opened dress and then slide back up to caress her cheeks and face. The purring noise the Silurian had been making seemed to have died down but it had transformed into a constant hissing that kept speeding up as the minutes passed by. Jenny knew it was a sign that her love was getting close. Before too long the hissing would stop to be replaced by the adorable clicking noise Vastra made when she came and Jenny could feel her heart racing in anticipation.

As she watched Vastra whose tongue had just released its grip around the back of her throat Jenny considered trying something she had never done before. She had wondered about it for a long time but had always been too nervous or unsure to try it. Feeling daring she withdrew from her mistress' wondering tongue and carefully slid her head under her skirts, trying not to make it obvious what she was considering doing in the hope that she could surprise Vastra. As she removed her hand from the sensitive scales between the woman's legs she heard a soft growl of protest but within seconds she had put her tongue and lips in their place and in the shock of it Vastra began to click uncontrollably, her eyes rolling back and her hands balled into fists holding her skirts tightly. Jenny's tongue worked furiously to match the patterns her fingers had been making only minutes before and she had to hold Vastra's hips in place to steady her for a few minutes as she convulsed lightly and clicked. It wasn't until Vastra's clicking had slowed to a soft purr again that Jenny finally removed herself from between the Lizard woman's legs once more and lifted herself back onto the sofa beside her, curling into her side with her head on her shoulder and her fingers once more tracing the scars that littered her torso.

For a short while they sat in silence, curled up together like a pair of kittens but when Vastra finally opened her eyes (still a little dazed and lost in the moments that had just passed) she whispered something to Jenny in a language the girl didn't understand. The lilting tone of it and the elongation of sounds that resulted in a slight hiss led her to assume it was the Silurian's natural tongue and she looked up at the woman to find her watching her closely.

"What does that mean?" she asked softly, planting light kisses along Vastra's shoulder as she spoke.

"It is a word my people use when speaking to or about someone who has stolen their heart and soul entirely." Vastra kept her gaze locked on the girl, soft pools of blue melting into Jenny's darker eyes. "I never thought I would use it myself but you truly have found your way under my skin my dear. You've loved me in a way I never believed to be possible and I want you to know that I am yours and yours alone. I always will be." She pressed a kiss to the top of Jenny's head and buried her face deep in her hair, relishing in the feel of it brushing against her cheeks and covering her in Jenny's scent. She was content and as she tasted the air once more she could tell that Jenny felt the same.


	15. Revelations

**Note: **I think I just killed a part of my own heart writing this. Please be prepared for the pain because if it hurts you as much as it has hurt me then you're going to need all of the preparation you can get. Good luck darlings and enjoy!

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

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Since Vastra had been taking time off from work as she continued to recover from her injury conversation over dinner had varied quite a bit in the house on Paternoster Row. Where before Vastra would have recounted some of the criminals she had been dealing with as of late or a case that was proving particularly tough to handle the women had instead been discussing Jenny's training a lot more along with other parts of everyday life and on several occasions Vastra had attempted to introduce the possibility of them hiring a new maid as it no longer felt right for Jenny to be doing the housework like a servant when Vastra viewed her as an equal.

"Jenny my love, may I ask you something?" As Jenny cut through the meat on her plate she looked up at Vastra suspiciously, convinced that once again the woman was attempting to take her job from her and replace her with some new girl who would never know how to clean the house just as she liked it done.

"If this is about that new maid idea o' yours again you can forget it. I've told you a thousand times ma'am, if you 'ire a new maid I won't know what to do with myself during the day, an' besides we'd never find someone who wouldn't take one look at you an' go runnin' around London screamin' about monsters." she smiled apologetically for a moment, knowing she hadn't phrased that as well as she could have. "Not that you're a monster o' course," she added, "but you know 'ow other 'umans can be."

"Quite," Vastra responded, a little more coldly than intended "But that was not actually what I wanted to ask you about. The maid raised her eyebrow, what on earth could she possibly want to ask about that she had to ask permission before asking then? It wasn't as though the two kept secrets from one another, Jenny would tell Vastra anything she wanted to know and the Silurian knew that. So why was Vastra acting as though whatever it was was a sensitive topic? The confusion on her face must have been clear because Vastra slid a hand over Jenny's own and squeezed it gently.

"It's about your past... well, in a way at least." The Silurian saw the light fade in Jenny's eyes and she felt her heart sink a little. "I was just wondering why you had not yet been to visit your family," she explained softly "I know you are not fond of the life you led before my dear but you seemed to care for your family very much. It just seems odd to me that you have lived with me for months now and not once have you shown any inclination towards wanting to see them." Vastra didn't want to upset Jenny, that was the last thing she wanted, but thoughts of the girl's relationship with her family had been bothering her for weeks and it had reached the point when she could no longer suppress her curiosity. Jenny appeared to be thinking about it for a long while. Her eyes had dropped to the plate of food in front of her and she was moving it about with her fork, seeming to have lost her appetite.

"I do care for 'em," she muttered eventually, still not looking Vastra in the eye "but things 'ave changed now that..." her voice trailed off and she bit her bottom lip lightly, a small frown creasing her brow. Vastra flinched slightly, she had hoped that Jenny's response would not concern their relationship but it seemed those hopes had been in vain. It hurt her to know that she was the reason that the girl had been estranging herself from those who had brought her into this world and raised her to be the girl that she was. Vastra knew what it was like to lose her family, and she hated to think that Jenny may be forcing herself to hurt so much all for her sake.

"Jenny, I..."

"Don't. Don't try an' tell me I need to see 'em Vastra, I can't. I've told you 'ow they'd feel about our relationship an' I know that they wouldn't 'ave to know an' that nothin' would 'ave to change between me an' them as long as they thought I was just your 'ousemaid but I couldn't lie to 'em." Jenny lifted her attention from her plate to look at Vastra once more and she sighed softly at the sight of her love. "I made my decision that first time I let you make love to me, an' I chose you." Vastra's thumb gently stroked the back of Jenny's hand, still held in her own, and she nodded her head, her eyes downcast and locked on their hands held between them on the table.

"I know you're scared of them finding out about us my love, but you cannot avoid them forever. They know where you work do they not?" The girl nodded slightly and Vastra glanced up at her momentarily. "Then do you not think they will come to find you one day? You are their blood Jenny, they will worry if they do not hear from you. They may already be worrying, it has been months since you have seen them." Jenny knew Vastra was right, she knew that her mother would already be worrying and that her father would be wanting to see his daughter but she just couldn't bring herself to go back to the family home. She knew that if she were to step through the door of that shack that she used to call her home and see her family again she would be so overcome by the guilt of lying about what she had been doing in her time working for Vastra that she would eventually have to tell them the truth. Tears welled in her eyes and Vastra immediately slid her chair closer to her darling girl, cupping her cheek in her hand and brushing away the tears.

"I'm sorry," Jenny sobbed, leaning into the other woman's touch "I just feel so torn. I'm yours, but they'll never accept that. They'd disown me if they knew."

"Then perhaps their opinions are not needed." Vastra's voice was low and soothing and she pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead, sighing at her own stupidity in once again reducing Jenny to tears. "My dear, I cannot say I understand how a parent could renounce their own child for falling in love. To me any parent who would do such a thing is unworthy of having been given that child. If your family were Silurians your parents would become outcasts for turning against their child when all she did was follow her heart. That being said, however, I believe the only way you may move forward from this predicament my dear would be to meet with your family again." Jenny shook her head furiously but Vastra simply caressed her cheek in an attempt to soothe her. Silence fell between the two and for a long while they remained where they were, with the Silurian calming her maid as she thought things through. The clock ticked away the seconds on the mantle behind them and the meal before them lay forgotten.

A part of Vastra wished that she had not brought the subject to Jenny's attention. She so hated to be the cause of her love's tears, and yet she knew that the girl had to face reality eventually. Her parents would find out about the relationship between the two women eventually, Vastra was sure of it. She may have been an old warrior who had never started a family of her own but with age came wisdom and Vastra had millions of years worth of it. She knew that secrets kept would always be shared in the end and that whatever the result was it would always be okay in time. Yes, revelations often caused hurt and heartbreak, but wounds heal and time can piece a broken heart together again.

"You're right." Jenny's voice shook with tears and she couldn't bring herself to look up to the lizard woman before her but she forced herself to speak nevertheless. "By avoiding the matter I'm only makin' it worse. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong... maybe they'll not mind." Jenny knew she was lying to herself but it was all she could do to convince herself that she had to visit her old home. If she let herself think about the hurtful rejection she was most likely to receive she knew she would never find the courage to go back there. Vastra could only nod, knowing as well as Jenny that her initial instincts had probably been correct and yet praying that it would not be as bad as she feared it may be.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Every bit of sense Jenny had was screaming at her, begging her to stop and go back. As she walked deeper and deeper into the poorer and more dangerous end of London she found her heart desperately trying to pull her back home, back to Vastra and safety and her little world where she was not judged for anything. She remembered these streets but not with fondness. They were a reminder of her past. A reminder of the poverty ridden life she had led before she had met Vastra. A reminder of the times when she had been forced to hide who she really was. She was getting closer to the house and her heart was beginning to race. She could see the front door of the family home, the paint peeling from the door and the house number that hung off so that the metal six appeared to be a nine. For a split second she thought she would turn back before she reached the door and run all the way home but she didn't. She wouldn't let herself. She had promised Vastra that she would go.

As she stepped up to the door and knocked everything seemed to stop and the sounds and feel of the world froze around her. The only thing that Jenny could hear was the beating of her own heart until the door creaked open and a face appeared, peering around the door. It was Mrs Green. She stared at Jenny for a long while with a perplexed look on her chubby and greying face before she realised who it was that stood before her. Her eyes widened as she recognised Jenny's face and she instantly took a step back.

"Well look who decided it were time to come 'ome," she drawled, looking Jenny up and down "Your mother was sayin' jus' las' night 'ow long it'd been since she las' saw you. Thought you'd never come back she said now you got a posh job in one o' them big 'ouses." Listening to the woman ramble on Jenny realised just how long she had been away. There had been a time when she had been able to understand Mrs Green's broad accent and even argue with her in raised voices when it worsened but at that moment she found herself having to listen extremely closely just to understand the old hag's snide remarks. She knew the woman hated her. They had never got on when she had lived there and as soon as Jenny had announced that she was leaving to work for Vastra Mrs Green's resentment had only deepened - she couldn't understand how the stuck up little madam from upstairs had managed to find a way to move up in the world while she and her family rotted in their hovel.

"Well I'm back." Jenny replied evenly, being careful not to move her gaze from the other woman's, knowing full well that to do so would be to display weakness. "Now, if you don't mind I'd like to see my family." Without waiting for a response Jenny barged past the woman and stormed through to the kitchen, being careful to hold her skirts up to avoid catching them on any of the broken floor boards.

Entering the kitchen the stench of dirty clothes and rotting food overpowered her and for a moment she had to stop in the doorway to adjust to the smell. She had forgotten how vile the place was, how filthy and misused. Jenny's kitchen at home was always spotless, and that was saying something when one considered the amount of blood that got splattered all over the place as she prepared meals. In comparison to what she had become accustomed to the kitchen of her childhood home was like a nightmare.

"J...Jenny?" The girl's mother was stood by the fire preparing dinner for the family as Jenny entered the kitchen and on seeing her daughter stood in the doorway she had almost dropped the pan of stew she was holding in shock. Her eyes roamed over her daughter's form in shock, her mouth hanging open slightly.

Jenny had changed a lot from the girl she had been when she had left the house months before. Her figure had filled out nicely from the richer, more filling and nutritious meals she'd been eating and the slight frame that her mother remembered had been replaced by gentle curves despite the fact that the girl remained fairly slim. Jenny's hair seemed to shine in the light of the fire as opposed to the matted mess it had once been and it was pinned behind her head in a modest bun where it had once fallen over her shoulders loosely. Her skin was clear and smooth with a gentle blush gracing her cheeks and her dark eyes sparkled with life. The final thing her mother noticed was her clothing. Jenny had only owned one plain grey dress when she had lived at home and her stockings, gloves, shawl and corset had all been tattered old hand-me-downs that she had received from her mother as birthday presents over the years. What Jenny wore that day was far from the attire she had once adorned. Vastra often treated the girl to clothing and jewellery that Jenny would wear when she went out alone as it allowed her to be seen as a higher class in public. When dressing that morning Jenny had considered wearing her uniform to avoid any unnecessary questions but, fearing that she would receive them no matter what she wore she had decided on an outfit that Vastra had bought for her only a few days before. The dress was made from a deep blue silk with white lace around the neck and arms and it flowed in layers down to the floor, with a bustle and corset forming her figure. Her boots peeped out from under the skirt, black Italian leather that was so well polished that it reflected the light of the fire that crackled in the hearth. Mrs Flint was awestruck. She had never imagined when she had bid her daughter farewell that she would return looking like royalty.

"Hello Mother" Jenny murmured, looking her mother's familiar face and form over with both fondness and a little pity. At her daughter's words the woman placed the pot of stew down on a nearby table and picked her way across the room (strewn with the Green family's mess as always) to embrace her daughter warmly. Jenny held her mother to her gingerly, smelling the sweat on her skin and knowing that it had probably been at least a week since she had bathed. She felt a little guilty turning up looking as she did when her family were still not incredibly well off. She had sent them all of the money that she could without causing suspicion concerning her relationship with her employer but clearly it still wasn't enough. The only difference that the girl had seen so far was the quality of the meal the family would be eating that night.

"What are you doin' 'ere love, shouldn't you be workin' today? It i'n't your day off yet is it?" Jenny hadn't considered the day. Thinking about it, a Tuesday was an odd day for her to visit, most maids would only be given Sundays off.

"Oh, Madame told me I could 'ave the day off to visit you. She thought you may be missin' me, she's very thoughtful like that." Jenny hid her slight blush well, not wanting her mother to question her any more on the matter. Luckily she just nodded and led Jenny over to the fire, sitting her down in the only good chair in the house and settling herself in a more questionable chair opposite her, placing the cooking pot back on the fire where she could keep an eye on it as it cooked.

"So, 'ow is work?" She asked, still regarding her daughter's countenance in awe. "You look 'ealthy that's for sure."

"I enjoy my work very much" Jenny nodded, smiling slightly at the thought of it. Despite her reservations about the visit it was lovely to see her mother again and she loved nothing more than to talk about her home and her mistress at any chance she got. "Madame keeps me well and treats me for my 'ard work. I send all o' my earnings to you o' course, but Madame insists on me being given nice things too so if I do a particularly 'ard job for 'er she sometimes buys me clothes or other pretty things." The girl was aware of how questionable her story sounded but she simply wasn't ready to tell her mother the truth at that point. Mrs Flint didn't seem to bat an eyelid though, just nodding and smiling at her daughter's good fortune.

"What did you say 'er name was again, your mistress? It were somethin' odd I know that. She sounds like a very good woman to treat 'er staff so well."

"Madame Vastra, an' she is a good woman mother, she takes very good care o' me. I am 'er only staff though, I suppose she can afford to treat me better than other employers would." Jenny hoped that it didn't seem too questionable. She knew that most employers were downright stingy when it came to their employees but that didn't mean that all of them had to be that way.

"Well, I'm glad she's lookin' after my lil' girl so well." Jenny looked down and laughed a little, blushing in embarrassment. Her mother hadn't referred to her as her little girl since she was seven years old and had started working. It was a strange feeling to hear it again and it made her feel as though she were a child again for a moment. "Is the work 'ard then? I would o' thought cleanin' a big 'ouse like that all on your own would be 'ard work."

"It's not as bad as you'd think, Madame's very understandin' of 'ow much work I 'ave to do alone so she understands if I don't clean the 'ole 'ouse every day." For the first time Jenny's mother frowned and she seemed to be thinking hard about something. Jenny was beginning to get nervous again. It was hard to tell her mother the truth without telling her the whole truth and she was all too aware that everything she had said so far was beginning to sound too good to be true.

"Why is it she don't jus' 'ire someone else to 'elp you?" Jenny froze for a moment. She couldn't possibly tell her mother the truth about Vastra. It would cause all sorts of problems if she did and Jenny didn't want to imagine who might come searching for the lizard woman to kill or dissect her if they found out about her existence.

"Madame's rather eccentric," Jenny tried to explain "most people wouldn't understand 'er."

"An' you do?"

"Yes, I've got to know 'er quite well since I started workin' for 'er. An' she isn't so 'ard to live with once you understand 'er." Jenny's mother looked at her for a moment, she seemed to be a little sceptical of what her daughter was saying. Jenny's heart sped up and she felt the heat rising in her cheeks. What was she supposed to say to make her story sound more believable? She didn't want to tell her mother that Vastra was a slave driver, she was in love with the woman and she wanted her mother to like her even if she wouldn't accept her as her partner.

"Jenny, this mistress o' yours, 'ow is it she offered you your job? 'ow did you even meet 'er, you never said?" The girl stiffened again, she had no answer for that. She couldn't very well tell her mother that Vastra had saved her life - how many upper class women would risk their own lives to save a poor girl from the slums? But there was no other way she could think to explain it. Jenny had very few things and knew very few people, there was no way someone could have suggested her as an acceptable employee. "Jenny?"

"I... well, does it really matter? I got the Job didn't I?"

"Jenny, it matters. The two o' you seem far too close. You 'ave to remember your class an' rank, you aint got the right to be takin' advantage o' your mistress like you seem to be. She could easily get you arrested for it." That made Jenny's blood boil in her veins. Her mother would never have spoken to her like that before she got this job. She would never have thought so badly of her daughter. Why was she being so harsh? Jenny knew the reason before she had even asked herself the question. Her parents had always envied the upper and middle classes, as all poor people did, but now Jenny appeared to be one of them and that seemed to have altered the way her mother viewed her. Jenny was staring at the woman coldly, hoping she would realise what she had said and apologise but she didn't.

"I aint takin' advantage," she muttered, not wanting to fight the first time she saw her mother in so long "an' Vastra would never do that to me!" Her eyes widened as the words passed her lips and she realised what she was saying. Her hand snapped up to her lips and she wished more than anything that she could take it back and start again, but she couldn't."

"What did you jus' say?"

"Nothin', I didn't say anythin'"

"You called 'er by 'er firs' name. What's goin' on Jenny?" All of a sudden Mrs Flint was angry and she stood up, pacing back and forth as Jenny knew she always did when something was bothering her. She wouldn't look at her daughter any more. Jenny wondered what she was thinking. Did she know? Could she suspect such a thing? She opened her mouth to speak when she heard the front door open and Mrs Green screeching at the top of her voice.

"Oh Mr Flint, you're back jus' in time. 'er majesty's come to tea." Jenny heard her father's grumbling as he pushed the woman out of the way and came into the kitchen.

"Oi Mary, what's tha' ol' bat on abou'..." his voice trailed off as he saw Jenny and the biggest smile spread across his face. Jenny stood as her father practically leapt over to her and enveloped her in his big worker's arms. She had missed her father more than anyone. She had always been a daddy's girl and it was strange not having him around all of the time. She was so happy see him again that she almost forgot about her mother still in a state by the fire. "Why didn' you tell us you was comin' back Jenny? It's good to 'ave you 'ere lass. Step back, lets 'ave a look a' you." Jenny took a step back and allowed her father to survey her, a smile on his face. "Well now I know wha' the ol' bat was on abou', you look like royalty my girl. 'ow you in such good condition eh?" Jenny stiffened and suddenly the thought of her mother stood right behind her flicked back into her head. She was going to have to explain herself at some point, there was no doubt about that.

"Madame looks after me well" she answered, trying to smile but knowing it wouldn't end there.

"An' now it's Madame again I see" her mother commented sharply and Jenny felt a knot in her stomach twisting and pulling as though her insides would rip apart with the dread of how she should explain herself. "Funny 'ow you interchange so quickly between the two."

"What you on about Mary?"

"She called 'er by 'er first name not five minutes ago." The woman snapped and she stared Jenny down, her eyes burning with anger. "I still want an explanation my girl, I won't forget it." The knot in Jenny's stomach tightened and she looked to her father, begging for support. He tried to smile and reassure her but she could see that he was uncomfortable. She gulped, realising she had to tell the truth. She had managed to lie to her mother until that point but she couldn't lie to her father when he had been so glad to see her only moments before.

"We're just close, that's all," she tried but she could see her mother didn't believe her "we're very close."

"'ow close?!" Mary regarded her daughter with a look of disgust in her eyes and Jenny realised that she knew. She dropped her gaze to the floor and heard a quiet sop drop from her mother's lips as her father sighed almost hopelessly.

"Jenny tell me i' aint true." Her father's voice was deep and almost broken and she felt tears welling in her eyes at the sound of it. She never wanted to hurt him. She never wanted to hurt any of them. But she knew that it had been inevitable.

"I'm sorry daddy," she whispered. She tried to step closer to him but he stepped back as she did, shaking his head. "I love 'er." Jenny had feared that her voice would break as she said it but the words were clear and untainted. She looked up into her father's eyes and saw something she had never seen there before. He seemed broken.

"I always knew you weren't like them other lil lasses," he muttered, his voice still low and breaking "but I 'oped you'd 'ave the good sense not to show i'."

"I won't say I'm sorry. I won't." Tears were rolling down Jenny's cheeks and her heart was shattering. This was why she hadn't wanted to come back. She knew she would lose them and now she had. But she would not renounce Vastra. Not for anyone. Not even for her father.

"Get out!" Jenny's mother had had enough, she was on her feet attempting to push her daughter out of the house. "You aint welcome 'ere no more lass." Her father tried to hold the woman back but it was no use. Jenny was out of the door before he could stop it and her mother slammed it shut in her face. The tears didn't stop and if the street hadn't been so filthy Jenny knew she would have allowed herself to collapse down onto the floor.

As Jenny began to head back down the street she heard a door open behind her and for a second she stopped dead. Footsteps came up behind her and her father's arms pulled her close to him.

"I'm sorry lass," he whispered "but you know why we can't 'ave you 'ere now. I don't blame you for followin' your 'eart. Jus' promise me you'll be 'appy, okay lass?" Jenny nodded her head and she buried her face in her father's chest. He kissed her head over and over and the last time he whispered "I'll always love you lass, even if I don' approve o' your choices." Then he was gone and the house door closed forever.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Jenny cried for the entire night, wrapped up in Vastra's arms with her face buried in the other woman's neck. It was the only safe place she had left. Her only home. She wouldn't leave for the world. She couldn't. She needed Vastra and she knew Vastra needed her.

She wouldn't sleep that night or for a few nights after but soon, just as Vastra had predicted, the wounds would heal and time and the love the girl received from the lizard woman would piece her broken heart together again.


	16. Easing the Pain

Vastra was beginning to worry about Jenny. She knew the girl hadn't been sleeping at night and, although she tried to hide it, it was clear she hadn't been eating either. She rarely spoke in the weeks after her visit home and when she did it was only to assure her love that she was okay. Vastra knew that she was lying. When she said it Jenny's voice was so flat and cold, the Silurian had never heard or seen her darling girl so lost or broken before and she couldn't help but feel guilty. She had pushed Jenny to visit her family. She had told her it was best that she should see them, and that perhaps she should be honest with them. Had she been wrong? The girl hadn't even told her what had happened that day. When she had returned home she had gone straight up to her old room in the top of the house and she hadn't come out for a few hours. Vastra had known what must have happened without having to be told. When Jenny had finally descended to the kitchen once more to prepare dinner she had had tear stains down her cheeks and her hands had been shaking slightly. It had almost torn Vastra apart to see it.

The one and only time that Jenny didn't seem to be as fragile as she appeared throughout the days was when Vastra could talk her into training. The first time she had managed to coax the girl into the basement where they had a training room set up Vastra had actually been a little afraid. In a split second the delicate little maid seemed to transform into a warrior and at one point, when she had Vastra pinned to the ground on her stomach with both arms bent behind her back, the Silurian had worried that Jenny would snap her wrists in two with the strength of her hold. Of course, once the girl realised what was happening she immediately let her mistress go, wrapping the woman in her arms once she had sat up and kissing her over and over in a silent attempt at an apology. After that Vastra had decided to avoid weapon training for a while, she dared not think of what would happen if Jenny were to lose control of her emotions with a katana in her hand. Despite the pain Jenny was clearly harbouring, however, one good thing had come from her family's rejection of her. Since it had happened Jenny's hand to hand combat technique had improved immensely and it had reached a stage where even Vastra was having to put all of her effort into each fight just to keep up with the girl. They were evenly matched. The lizard woman had never expected her sweet girl to learn such skill in such a short period of time but it seemed heartbreak could bring out other sides of humans, allowing them to develop different skills.

It was a few weeks after the day that had torn Jenny apart and the girl and her mistress were training in the basement late at night. As Jenny threw Vastra over her shoulder for the third time that day the Silurian's body hit the ground with a dull thud and the girl felt a sudden burst of pain in her heart. Unable to stop herself she backed up to the wall behind her slowly and slid down it until she was sat with her back pressed against its rough surface and her knees pulled up to her chest. Vastra realised that Jenny had stopped her attack and, in shock, she rolled onto her stomach to see where she had gone. Her eyes came to rest on the maid's tiny form curled by the wall and in a second she had crawled over to her side and protectively pulled her into her arms. This had been happening more and more often as of late. Although just after Jenny had been thrown out of her childhood home she had been too angry to allow herself to cry as time went on she was becoming consumed by emotion at the most unexpected times and Vastra found herself spending hours trying to calm the girl for long enough to allow her to talk about it.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry" Jenny whispered over and over, tears streaming over her cheeks and onto the shoulder of Vastra's dress as the Silurian held her darling girl close and rocked her back and forth like an infant. She didn't know why but for some reason the motion seemed to soothe Jenny. It took a short while but eventually the tears stopped and the girl just stayed wrapped in the arms of the woman she loved, not making a sound bar the sniffs and sighs as she tried to collect herself and recover from the burst of emotion she had just suffered.

"I know it does not seem likely my love, but everything really will be okay." Vastra rubbed Jenny's back softly as she spoke. She wasn't expecting her to reply. Every time this happened Vastra would say a similar thing trying to convince both Jenny and herself that it was true but every time the girl just sighed and clung onto her tighter. That night, however, things were different. Jenny shifted in the older woman's arms and looked up at her with deep, pain filled eyes.

"I know it will" she whispered. Her voice broke slightly from the tears but Vastra could tell that she was sure about what she was saying. At first the Silurian was a little taken aback. For weeks and weeks the girl had seemed convinced that her heart would never be whole again but now she looked into Vastra's eyes with such certainty that everything would be alright that the lizard woman was finding it hard to understand which of the two things Jenny actually believed. She tilted her head slightly to the side to get a better look at the girl and she noticed that for the first time in a long time there was a slight shade of pink in Jenny's cheeks and her eyes didn't seem so dead.

"You do?" she queried, her confusion clear in both her voice and the question.

"O' course" Jenny attempted a smile but, finding that she wasn't quite ready for that just yet, settled for loosening the other woman's grip on her waist so that she could lace their fingers together and squeeze her hand softly. "I've got you 'aven't I? I may not be okay now, and it may take a while for me to be okay again, but as long as I got you I know I will be okay in time." Vastra's heart warmed at her sweet girl's words and she smiled, burying her face in Jenny's neck and breathing in her scent. It had been different lately, almost wrong, but in that moment she smelled like Jenny again. She smelled like home.

"You will always have me my love, I promise." It didn't need to be said, Jenny knew that Vastra would always be there for her, but still it was nice to hear the words. The Silurian seemed to hesitate and Jenny had a feeling there was something else she wanted to say. She stroked her thumb gently along her love's scaled hand to encourage her and it only took a short while for Vastra to finally lift her head from the girl's neck and ask, "are you ready to talk about it yet?" A part of her immediately regretted asking the question. She didn't want to push Jenny, she didn't want to make her relive those feelings if she wasn't ready, but she had wanted to know exactly what had caused all of this pain for her darling girl for so long and it was eating away at her inside. Jenny tried not to seem too upset. She understood why Vastra wanted to know what had happened. The woman saw it as her job to protect Jenny and how was she to do that if she didn't know what was causing the girl's pain? Jenny wasn't entirely sure herself if she could face talking about it just yet. She no longer wanted to jump from a tall building, which she supposed was a good sign, but that didn't mean it had stopped hurting.

"Vastra, I..."

"Forget it. Forget I asked my love, I am so very sorry. I should never have asked it of you, I know you will tell me when you are ready." Jenny almost laughed as Vastra was speaking and she pressed her finger to the woman's lips, silencing her immediately.

"You daft ol' lizard," she whispered "if you'd stop worryin' an' be quiet for two seconds you'd know that I was about to say that I'll tell you, you just need to be patient with me because I don't know 'ow well I'll cope." Vastra blushed slightly as she realised how quickly she'd cut the girl off and she nodded, looking down at Jenny curled up in her arms. Jenny didn't know where to start. She didn't want to spend too long talking about it but she also wanted to tell her love as much as she could. She hated keeping things from Vastra, it felt as though she had to handle her problems on her own and she knew that that wasn't true - not now that she had the lizard woman in her life.

"It was just as I thought it'd be really," she started, snuggling into Vastra as they sat curled on the floor, leaning against the wall "mother seemed 'appy to see me, if a little shocked considerin' it was a Tuesday, and it all seemed fine until she kept askin' questions. I knew I couldn't lie properly. I tried to twist the truth but it all sounded like somethin' that'd never be true and... well..." Jenny felt the tears welling in her eyes again and she desperately tried to bite them back. She would not cry. She wouldn't let herself cry again. "she guessed." Vastra looked uncertainly at the girl.

"She guessed?" A frown etched itself onto her scaled features and she regarded Jenny curiously. "I thought, from what you told me, that the concept of two women in a romantic relationship is very rarely heard of and never seen as acceptable in this era." What Jenny was saying didn't make sense. Why would a woman of a time period where such things were not common automatically jump to that conclusion? Jenny's eyes seemed to glaze over and Vastra realised that there must be more to it than the girl was telling her.

"You're right, but thing is, there was an incident a few years ago. I'd fallen in love with one o' my friends, a girl I'd known since I was a child." Vastra felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of Jenny loving anyone but her, but she forced the feeling away knowing she was being ridiculous and that the girl loved her and only her. "I'd wanted to tell 'er 'ow I felt for a long time, an' I'd been tryin' to write a letter to 'er to tell 'er, but it never sounded right so I gave up. Only, one day, my mother found one o' the notes. She pretended she'd never seen it but I know she 'ad. I caught 'er readin' it in my room when she thought I was out. I think when I said that you an' I were close somethin' must 'ave clicked in 'er 'ead an' reminded 'er." Jenny blinked a few times and shook her head. She had surprised herself with how well she was handling talking about it all. Perhaps she was beginning to get past it after all.

"I'm sorry my love, I know how hard that must have been"

"Don't be. I expected my mother's reaction. I knew 'ow she'd be once she'd realised. I was angry at 'er at first, but I understand. I'm past the 'urt that she caused now. It was my father's reaction that 'urt me the most." Suddenly tears welled in the girl's eyes again and Vastra squeezed her hand to reassure her. Jenny knew it would only get harder from that point. She could still see the broken look on her father's face when he realised why her mother was so angry. She could still hear him saying goodbye to her in her mind. She had played the last things he had said to her over and over again in her head since that day. _I'll always love you lass, even if I don' approve o' your choices_. It hurt, but it was a strange almost comforting hurt.

After an agonisingly long pause Jenny finally mustered the courage to speak again. She bit back her tears as she did so, desperate to get to the end of recounting that day before she broke down once more. "My father was so 'appy to see me when 'e got in from work. I've told you 'ow close me an' 'im were." Vastra nodded, pressing a kiss to Jenny's temple to try and soften the internal agony she knew her darling girl must be suffering. "Mother was the one who told 'im. She was so angry at me she just blurted it out. I've never seen my father look as 'urt an' broken as 'e did when 'e realised what my mother was sayin'. 'e even asked me to tell 'im she was lyin'... but I couldn't." Jenny's lips were beginning to shake with the effort of holding back tears and she had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself once more. "I don't know 'ow but 'e said 'e'd always known I was different. 'e'd known all along and 'e never told me." She could barely conceal her tears at the thought of it and Vastra whispered in her ear for her to slow down. Jenny nodded. Her beautiful lizard woman was so clever, she always knew how best to handle overwhelming situations. After a short pause Jenny continued, "I tried to explain, to tell 'im that I loved you an' I couldn't apologise for that. I guess 'e must 'ave understood at least a bit. Once mother 'ad thrown me out 'e came out after me, 'e 'ugged me an' said 'e loved me even though 'e didn't agree with me lovin' you. But 'e still went back into the 'ouse an' shut the door. 'e still turned me away. I'd 'oped that 'e'd be the one to stand up for me like 'e always 'as done my whole life... but 'e didn't." as the last syllable left her lips Jenny heard her voice break and she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. She buried her face in Vastra's chest and felt as cool, scaled hands caressed the soft flesh on the back of her neck.

"I imagine being a parent must be one of the most challenging roles an individual can take on" Vastra's voice was soft and steady as she spoke. Hearing about Jenny's ordeal had of course broken her heart just as the girl's own heart had been broken, but Vastra knew that her sweet little human needed her to stay strong and be her rock. "I do not agree with how either of your parents handled this predicament I must say, however I do admire your father for what he did. I know he still turned his back on you my love but, as he understood your love for me, you must understand his love for your mother and his need to support her and stand by her as you did me." Jenny's tear stained face lifted for a second, looking up at Vastra in curiosity. She had to admit, she hadn't thought of it in that way before. "He still treated you with love and respect. I do not believe he will ever turn away from you entirely darling. You seem very much like your father from what you have told me about him. Both kind hearted and loving. Both ready to accept anyone, no matter what. Both fiercely loyal to the one you love." A small smile graced Vastra's lips and she tucked a loose strand of hair behind Jenny's ear. "And you both love one another unconditionally, even if you cannot always show it as he cannot now if he is to support your mother in her beliefs." She sighed and pressed a light kiss to Jenny's forehead. As always, Jenny knew that Vastra was right. She had never considered it before but perhaps her father was just supporting his wife as Jenny had supported Vastra when she refused to apologise for falling in love with her. She could forgive him for that.

"Do you think it's about time I tried to move on from this?" The girl asked her love, looking up into shining blue eyes. Her own dark eyes seemed more hopeful to Vastra and the Silurian felt relief wash over her. She hated to see Jenny hurting. She hated knowing that she was in pain. But when she saw that pain lift it filled her heart with such warmth and happiness to know that everything was okay again.

"Perhaps 'move on' is not the right way to phrase it. I think maybe it is time we accepted the situation for what it is and we carry on our lives until such a time that I hope the situation may change." Jenny was doubtful that the situation would change but she appreciated Vastra's optimism. She'd grieved the loss of her family for long enough. If they ever did change their minds then she knew she would embrace them and love them as she always had. But, until such a time came, Jenny was more than content with her life with Vastra. The Silurian was her family now, Jenny felt that she had been since their very first kiss. She was safe with Vastra, she was loved, and god help anyone who tried to take that from her.


	17. Vastra's Funny Turn

**Note: **Well, it seems I'm becoming a bit lax with my updates - sorry about that. Uni's been a bit hectic and I'm trying to get my last assignment done so it's taken me a while to get this chapter finished. Anyways, it's done now and that's all that really matters. So, read, enjoy and review - all that usual stuff that us writers like you to do! I promise I'll try to be a little quicker with the next one if at all possible.

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

~.~.~.~.~.~

After hours of scrubbing and cleaning and polishing Jenny was beginning to grow weary of fulfilling her duties as maid of the house. It had been a while since she had last spent a full day in her role as a maid and she wasn't used to the monotony of it. Ever since she had started learning to fight she and Vastra had been spending more and more time training and, of course, that ridiculously tight fitting catsuit that the mistress of the house had insisted on her wearing was making it more and more difficult for Jenny to go back to work once the training sessions were over. More often than not the two would end up kissing and somehow one thing led to another and... well, they never seemed to make it to the bedroom before they ended up fucking like rabbits. Jenny had tried to tell Vastra off for it (the house was becoming dirtier and dirtier and the girl wasn't at all happy about it) but every time the Silurian would just bat her eyelids over those pretty eyes and kiss Jenny softly and the girl would melt into her arms. She just couldn't say no, and honestly she didn't want to.

However, training had been put on hold for the past week and Jenny was growing tired of her dull job. On several occasions she had considered taking Vastra up on her offer to hire a new maid in her place but she knew it would never work out. She was too particular about how she liked the house to be cleaned, and besides, what would she do with her time if she had no job and they weren't training? Jenny wasn't entirely sure she understood why Vastra no longer seemed to have time to train with her. She knew that the woman had been getting a lot more work from Scotland Yard but she didn't seem to be struggling to keep up with it. Some nights she would return home having solved three cases at once, so why was she having to spend so much more time in her study during the days if the cases she was handling were so simple that they could be completed in such short periods of time? The maid considered these thoughts as she watered the plants in the greenhouse and tried not to doze off standing up from sheer boredom.

"Jenny, I'm going out." Vastra's voice echoed through the halls to the girl in the greenhouse but before she had even had a chance to answer the front door had swung shut and she had found herself alone in the big empty house.

Jenny couldn't suppress the frown that etched itself on her face after her mistress' departure. Vastra had been acting very oddly as of late. The past week she had been distancing herself from Jenny and the girl simply could not understand why. It had started with the woman's insistence that they could not train for a week or so, then she had stopped popping in and out of rooms to check on Jenny throughout the day. Vastra never seemed to hang around long after dinner and in the evenings before she went out to work she had stopped sitting with Jenny. Now she was leaving the house during the day as well?

A part of the maid couldn't help but wonder if her love had found someone else, another girl much prettier and more interesting than her. It seemed as though Vastra was gradually attempting to push her out of her life and it hurt Jenny to consider that perhaps her darling lizard had fallen out of love with her. What would happen next? Would she stop sleeping with her? They hadn't made love all week and Vastra had been keeping her distance in their bed, curling up on the far side and keeping her back turned to Jenny at all times. Every time Jenny would reach out her arm towards the woman Vastra would stiffen and hiss softly. At first Jenny had thought she had done something wrong, then she had wondered if Vastra was just in a bad mood, but as the week went on the fears of losing the one she loved had etched themselves deeply in Jenny's mind and it had reached the point where she could no longer shift them no matter how hard she tried.

Vastra leaving the house that day had been the last thing Jenny could take. She threw the empty watering can down in the corner where it lived, made her way up to the second floor and headed towards the door of the lizard woman's study. Stopping for a moment outside the door she took a deep breath and tried to find a way to talk herself out of what she was about to do. Jenny knew Vastra didn't like her entering the study when she wasn't there. The Silurian was even more particular about how she liked rooms to be organised than the maid was herself, at least that's the reason she gave Jenny to explain her reluctance to allow the girl entry in her absence. She hoped Vastra was telling the truth. She hoped that she wouldn't find anything and that her fears of Vastra's unfaithfulness would be proved needless. But she couldn't be satisfied until she knew the truth. Slowly Jenny lifted her hand and felt a chill run through her as her warm skin connected with the ice cold metal of the doorknob. She turned it and the door sprung free from its frame, swinging open to reveal the inside of Vastra's sanctuary.

As she entered the room Jenny felt sick with fear. She didn't know what she would find in there but she was beginning to wonder if she really wanted to know. Still she continued to step into the darkness of the room step by step until the door swung shut behind her. The air in the room was musty and the curtains hadn't been drawn back. It was ridiculously warm and Jenny, despite knowing that Vastra enjoyed the warmth, couldn't understand how the woman could bear it in here for such long periods of time. The girl wanted nothing more than to open the window and relieve the restricted, stuffy feeling of the room, but she didn't want her mistress to know she had been in there without permission and so, resisting her urges, she lit a candle and held it up so she could look around. It took a few moments for Jenny's eyes to adapt to the light but once they did she noticed that the room looked exactly as it had the last time she had entered it. She didn't know what she had expected to find. Somewhere deep in her mind Jenny had thought that maybe there would be another woman hidden away up there, or perhaps she had thought there would be an obvious feel to the room that proved Vastra no longer wanted her there. There was nothing of the sort.

Hopelessly, Jenny searched the bookcase before moving over to Vastra's desk. The papers that were usually strewn over its surface as she worked were all in neat piles lined up across the top edge and the only thing in front of Vastra's seat was a small diary. There were dates here and there that were circled in red ink but there was no description of what that meant. Jenny tried to find some consistency or correlation between the dates but there didn't seem to be any. The only similarity that the maid could find was that wherever a date was circled all of Vastra's cases seemed to have been put on hold. She couldn't help but feel that the circled dates might have something to do with what had been making Vastra act so oddly. The date at the start of the week they were currently in was circled in red and all of her cases had been put aside. But Vastra had told the girl she had been working. Had she lied? And, if so, where had she been going at night? The last date circled before that week was long before Jenny had moved to live on Paternoster Row. In that moment a horrible thought occurred to the girl. What if Vastra hadn't found another woman? What if she had been with someone else all along? It was possible that the lizard woman could have been in a relationship with someone who was not always in the country. Jenny had heard of the richer women of society, how they travelled a lot and often didn't know when they would return to their home town as each journey they took was on a whim. What if Vastra was in a long term relationship with a woman like that? What if Jenny herself was the 'other woman' and Vastra had been avoiding her to reduce the risks of her partner finding out that she was unfaithful?

"J...Jenny?" The girl spun fast on her heel to find Vastra stood in the open doorway, staring at her as she leant over the woman's diary. Jenny hadn't heard her open the door. She hadn't realised Vastra had even come home. How long must she have been in there if Vastra had been able to do whatever it was she had gone out to do and return in the time it had taken her to find anything that even remotely gave her a clue as to what was going on with the Silurian?

Jenny was frozen to the spot. She had no clue what to say or do. Vastra had an odd look on her face. She didn't seem angry; instead her eyes were flicking nervously around the room, as though she were trying to look anywhere but at her maid, and her scales seemed to have flushed a dark green. Jenny noticed how the woman's hands fidgeted nervously with each other in front of her skirts. They seemed to do that whenever the two women found themselves face to face recently. The girl wondered if it was a nervous tick. If Vastra's guilt about whatever she was hiding from Jenny was being pushed into those little hand movements. Vastra seemed to snap out of her trance like state as Jenny's eye line dropped and, unable to bear the awkward silence between them any longer, she turned to leave again.

"Wait..." Jenny wasn't sure what she was going to say next but she knew she didn't want Vastra to go. She ran out of the room after her mistress and found the Silurian stood at the top of the stairs with her hands clutching at the wooden handrail. Slowly Jenny walked over to stand close to her mistress and she slid her hand over one of the other woman's. A low growl reverberated in the back of Vastra's throat and Jenny considered withdrawing her grip, but she didn't. "What's goin' on wi' you?" The girl's voice was just audible and it shook a little as she asked the question. Her accent was broader than usual. Jenny was afraid of what answer she might receive. Vastra wasn't looking at her and she seemed to be thinking hard about something. What if Jenny had given up her family and her life for a woman who no longer loved her? "Please ma'am, this is drivin' me mad. You' been keepin' away from me all week. Whatever it is I'd rather you jus' tell me..." she felt tears welling in her eyes and she allowed her hand to slip away from the other woman's, "if you don' love me anymore, I'd rather you jus' tell me."

At her words Vastra's head snapped around to stare at her. Green lips trembled and the look of conflict on her face evaporated into pure lust. Before Jenny knew what was happening the woman had pressed her hard against the hand railing and was kissing her roughly, scaled hands pulling relentlessly at the maid's dark work dress. Jenny whimpered slightly at the sudden rough and passionate onslaught of her love's affections and Vastra forced herself away from the girl, retreating to the other side of the stairs.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry," she hissed as she slid down to crouch on the floor and she dropped her gaze to her lap, "I did not mean to hurt you. You must stay away from me Jenny, just for now. I can't be trusted not to hurt you."

"Wh...what?" Jenny looked confused. She took a step towards Vastra but the woman shuffled away from her. Blue eyes flicked up momentarily, just long enough for Jenny to see the fear and pain in them, before Vastra's gaze dropped back into her lap.

"Please Jenny, I do not want to hurt you."

"But why would you 'urt me?" Jenny still didn't understand. Did Vastra still love her? That kiss had certainly felt as though she did, but why had the woman been so rough? She had only ever held Jenny as though she were china and might break at any minute before. Why was she now suddenly so rough and forceful?

"I cannot help myself. My love, I will explain everything but not now. Another time, I promise." And with that Vastra lifted herself from the floor and went back to her study, locking herself in.

Jenny stared at the locked door of the study for a long time after Vastra had left. What on earth had she been talking about? The Silurian hadn't expressed worries about hurting her since the first time they had made love, why was she all of a sudden so afraid of harming her again? It worried Jenny how distracted and agitated her mistress had seemed. She'd never seen Vastra lose her composure like that, it was a frightening thing to witness. She wanted to knock on the door, to check that Vastra was okay, but she knew better than to disturb the woman's peace if she was in such a state. Eventually Jenny went back to her work but she didn't see Vastra again for the rest of the day. The Silurian didn't come down to dinner and even as night fell she didn't return to the couple's bedroom. Jenny was forced to sleep alone.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Vastra was in the kitchen when Jenny went down to begin preparing breakfast the next morning. As the maid entered the room she found the mistress of the house leaning against the wooden table in the centre of the room waiting for her and on Jenny's arrival Vastra strode over to her darling girl and pulled her close to her, holding her firmly yet gently and pressing a loving kiss to her lips. Once the kiss was broken (very reluctantly on Vastra's part) Jenny looked up at her love in surprise. For a moment she wondered if all of those things from the evening before had actually happened or if it had actually all been a dream but the apologetic look in the Silurian's eyes confirmed her certainty that she hadn't quite reached the point of inventing conflict between the two of them just yet.

"I cannot apologise enough to you my love." Vastra refused to release her grip on the girl in her arms as he spoke, still holding Jenny gently but firmly to herself and looking down into the girl's face.

"You don't 'ave to apologise to me at all ma'am" the girl replied. She was just happy to be back in her beautiful lizard's arms once more. That week had been agony for Jenny as Vastra had pushed her away and all she had wanted was to have things back as they had been before. "I just want to know you're okay. Why 'ave you been actin' so strange all this week?" The small smile that had graced Vastra's face faltered slightly but she tried not to show it. She felt a slight blush rising in her cheeks and she sighed as she looked down at Jenny.

"I do have to apologise Jenny. I have been terrible to you this week and I could not bear to stay in a room with you for long enough to explain why. I am so sorry for shutting you out and pushing you away when you tried to show me your concern my love. Please, believe me when I tell you I never intended to hurt you in doing so. On the contrary, I was protecting you." Jenny frowned lightly at her mistress. She still didn't understand how Vastra keeping her distance was a way of protecting her. Vastra sensed her confusion and nodded her head slowly. "I know this must be very difficult for you to understand my dear. Allow me to explain. You are aware of how for a week every month you bleed and that your emotions become erratic..." Jenny nodded, a look of disgust on her face.

"Too bloody right I'm aware. It's a bleedin' curse that. Bloody painful and makes you feel awful for a full week." Vastra chuckled slightly at Jenny's reaction but didn't let it distract her from the point she was attempting to make.

"Well, the females of my species suffer a similar curse, as you so eloquently put it. We do not bleed as you do and it is not as frequent or as regular as your own, however it is far more dangerous for our mate." Jenny automatically blushed at Vastra's choice of wording. It was rare that the Silurian would use such animalistic terms when referring to their relationship, preferring to call Jenny her 'darling human girl' or her 'loving partner', but when she did refer to her as her mate Jenny couldn't suppress the feelings that it was something very improper. The term connected far too closely to their physical relationship for Jenny's liking and it always made her feel very risqué when Vastra used the word. The lizard woman tried to ignore the girl's change in colour. She found it sweet that Jenny's prim and proper little Victorian mind was so opposed to the acknowledgement of the natural urge to mate but she could not let her adorable little human girl distract her from the task at hand. "For a week or so every so often our desire to mate becomes more than unmanageable. We lose control of our inhibitions and quite frankly we would make love continuously for the entire week given half the chance." Jenny's blush deepened and a small smirk graced Vastra's lips which only made the matter worse. "For a normal Silurian couple it would not be a problem, we are perfectly capable of mating like animals during those times, but I know how rough I can get when my inhibitions are gone and it would not have been safe for me to be close to you in the past week my Jenny. You saw yesterday just how rough I can be and that was only a kiss. I have been avoiding you out of fear that I may harm you... or worse."

"Oh you daft ol' lizard you" Jenny lifted a hand to cup Vastra's cheek gently and she leaned up to kiss the woman. "Why didn't you just write me a note to explain, hm? We could 'ave found a way around it. I dunno, we could 'ave tied your 'ands to the 'eadboard or somethin'." Vastra raised a scaled eyebrow at the suggestion and Jenny slapped her arm playfully. "I don't mean like that, honestly you 'ave such a filthy mind." The Silurian chuckled and shook her head.

"Well what can I say. It is hard not to think in sexual terms with such a beautiful woman in such close proximity." Jenny rolled her eyes but she knew Vastra meant it in the most loving of ways. She had learned that for a Silurian physical expression was how the truest of love was shown. It was still strange to her when she considered how sentimental humans were in comparison but she had learned to understand Vastra's meaning when she made such seemingly inappropriate remarks and she knew she only meant well by it.

"If somethin' like this ever comes up again, just tell me next time, okay?" There was sadness in Jenny's eyes and as much as Vastra didn't want to see it she couldn't help but notice. "I was thinkin' all sorts..."

"You thought I had begun to stop loving you..." Jenny nodded and Vastra wished that she had explained it all long before now when Jenny had first had to explain her monthly cycle. It had taken an hour or two for the Silurian to understand and even then she had made a sort of connection with her own predicament, but for some reason she hadn't thought to explain it to Jenny at the time.

"I thought maybe there was someone else..." The girl was so ashamed to admit it but she wanted Vastra to know the truth. She could see the pain in the woman's eyes but she knew Vastra understood. She always did.

"There will never be anyone else my love. I assure you, there has never been anyone I have loved as greatly as I love you, and there never will be." She kissed Jenny lightly and revelled in the feeling of having the girl so close once more. She had missed her darling little human more than she could possibly say. Jenny snuggled into Vastra's neck and for what seemed like an eternity the two stood in the kitchen just holding each other and enjoying the closeness that they had been deprived of for the past week.

"Does this mean we can go back to trainin' later today?" Jenny murmured. She had missed the excitement of training with her mistress almost as much as she had missed being intimate with her. Vastra chuckled and pulled away from the girl just enough so that she could look down at her with a grin etched on her features.

"Better. I think you're ready to join me on one of my night time cases."


	18. Jenny's First Case

"So, what is it that we're lookin' for again ma'am" Jenny still couldn't seem to get her head around what exactly her first mission was. Vastra had been trying to explain it to her ever since they had left the house but the idea just wasn't sinking in. The Silurian was beginning to wonder if this had been the right case to start her off with after all or if perhaps she would have been better off taking Jenny on a more mundane mission to begin with.

"A girl who is not a girl." She sighed, a little exasperated, and Jenny scowled slightly. She couldn't help it if she didn't understand. She'd assumed Vastra would make her first mission something simple, like a thief or a fraudster, not an alien! Pulling Jenny around a shadowed corner where she hoped no one would notice them Vastra lowered her hood so that she could stand face to face with the girl. "Darling you must try to understand what we are doing or you are more likely to get yourself killed. I received a call from Scotland Yard a few days ago informing me that there had been some strange deaths around this area of London. The Victims seemed to have had their hearts frozen, literally turned to ice. There is only one species I know of which is capable of such an act - they have thousand of names but my people simply knew them as ice queens. The race is entirely female and, under normal circumstances, they are a peaceful people. That is why I believe this one to be young. The young of the race often cannot control themselves when placed in an environment which frightens them. They will kill any seeming threat. That is why I chose not to bring the swords, we can't have this child seeing us as threats to her safety or we shall join those she has already killed."

"Right," Jenny muttered, still trying to understand what the purpose of this case was, "so, we're lookin' for a girl who freezes the 'earts of people who are a threat to 'er. An' what do we do when we find 'er? Surely we don't kill 'er?" The maid had no qualms about killing on the whole any more. Of course, she would prefer to simply incapacitate her targets, but if killing was necessary then it was necessary. In this case, however, Jenny wasn't so sure. A child, alien or not, was still a child. It couldn't help if it was scared, it was only trying to protect itself, and wasn't that exactly what Vastra did? Protect people?

"It will depend, my love." Vastra seemed distracted, keeping tabs on everything around her while still trying to explain the case to Jenny yet again. "I have reason to believe that this child may not have found herself here by accident. All of the bodies that have been discovered were found in the grounds of a church not far from here. Someone must be using the child for something, and when they are done with the people she kills they drop the bodies off and start again." There was a cracking noise somewhere in the dark and Vastra immediately pulled her hood up, leaning closer to Jenny and whispering, "if we find the girl alone we must try to reason with her, help her if we can. If we find her with whoever it is that brought her here... well, we shall have to see when the time comes."

As the last words passed her lips Vastra spun to face the source of the noise and warily she edged further into the darkness, careful to tread as quietly as she could. Jenny was quick to follow, light on her feet and agile as a cat just as Vastra had taught her. The Silurian took her time creeping through the shadows. Although she could see perfectly well she did not want to risk overlooking whatever had caused the noise in haste and so she allowed her gaze to wonder over every corner and hidden spot with such precision that nothing could have escaped her notice. After a few seconds she stopped suddenly and Jenny walked straight into her, having to hold onto her mistress' cloak so as not to tumble back onto the grubby floor of the street.

"Ma'am?" she whispered but Vastra just held up a hand to silence her. Jenny watched as the Silurian's tongue flicked out and she realised that she was sensing. Peering over the woman's shoulder Jenny could just about make out a figure curled in a small ball and hidden in a boarded up doorway. Was it the child? Had they found her? Jenny went to take a step forwards but Vastra held her back, one hand gripping her arm tightly to stop her getting any closer.

"She may not be alone" Vastra hissed and instinctively she pulled Jenny behind her so as to protect her. She knew Jenny had been trained well enough to look after herself but not knowing who or what they would be facing put Vastra on edge. It meant that she didn't know how skilled they were. Perhaps she wasn't as ready to put Jenny in harm's way as she had thought. "Stay here." Being careful to move as slowly as possible Vastra moved towards the tiny form of the child curled in the doorway. As she moved the girl sensed her presence. A tiny blonde head peered up at Vastra's cloaked figure and she immediately raised her hands to protect herself, fearing the figure whose face she couldn't see.

"Wait!" Jenny's voice broke the silence of the alley and the little girl's eyes snapped to her. She regarded the maid for a moment, her hands still shielding her from Vastra. Jenny stepped closer and held her hands up to show she meant no harm. "Easy there little miss, we won't 'urt you." The child didn't seem to understand. Her eyes flicked between the two women uncertainly. She appeared torn over whether to trust them or not. On the one hand there was the mysterious and frankly rather terrifying cloaked figure that she had been ready to kill on first sight, but on the other there was the oddly dressed woman who spoke so calmly. The second one didn't seem so scary.

Vastra's attention had turned to Jenny. What was she doing? She didn't know anything about this girl, who she was or how to communicate with her safely. Why was she not following instructions and keeping well back? The Silurian hissed softly in the back of her throat and Jenny placed a reassuring hand on her arm to calm her. "Trust me" she whispered. She turned to the little girl still curled in the doorway and crouched down so that she was level with her and could look directly into her eyes. She noticed that the child's eyes were definitely not human. They were a lighter blue than Vastra's and something moved in the colour, almost like snowflakes or flower petals being blown around in the wind. "I'm gonna ask Vastra 'ere to remover 'er 'ood, okay sweet'eart? Just so you can see 'er proper like. It'll be easier to trust 'er if you can see 'er won't it?" The little girl nodded. "Now, I don't want you to be scared, she won't 'urt you. She just looks a bit different to you an' me, okay?" The child considered it for a moment, then nodded her head again.

Jenny looked up at Vastra. She knew the woman wouldn't be happy about exposing herself. Anyone could walk past at any minute and see what she was, but Jenny was sure it was the only way to calm the little girl's nerves. Reluctantly the Silurian slid her hood from her head and the little girl's eyes widened. Jenny managed to take hold of her little hands before she could raise them in self defence again and she gently lifted the child into her arms and stood up.

"'ey now, I told you she wouldn't 'urt you, lets 'ave less o' that." The little girl didn't struggle but she didn't seem entirely sure she was comfortable in Jenny's arms.

"W...what is she?" It was the first time the child had spoken and Jenny noticed how easily she seemed to speak the language. She wondered if perhaps the girl had spoken it before she reached earth or if she had learned it once she was brought there. Even so, with more important questions to ask the maid pushed that one to the back of her mind.

"Vastra's a Silurian, there aren't many o' 'er lot around right now but a long time ago they used to be the ones that ran this planet." The girl looked confused and Jenny giggled "she's a big, 'armless lizard." She chose to leave out the part about the Silurian only being harmless if you weren't causing trouble. The child was scared enough without having to hear that. Vastra hissed in dissatisfaction at Jenny's explanation but the maid ignored her. She knew Vastra only allowed her to call her a lizard in jest but it seemed to be the easiest way to make the child understand. "What's your name little miss?"

"Arabella," A voice seeped through the darkness and with it came a figure. "Her name is Arabella." A man strode out from the shadowed entrance of the boarded up door and Vastra immediately tensed herself ready for attack. He laughed to himself as he regarded her and Vastra growled warningly. "Oh do calm yourself woman, I won't hurt you."

"A likely story, but I would like to stay prepared if it is all the same to you."

At the sight of the man the child stiffened in Jenny's arms and all of a sudden her uncertainty about the maid holding her evaporated. Little hands clung onto Jenny's shoulders and Arabella closed her eyes tightly as though pretending he wasn't there. She was whispering something to herself over and over in a language Jenny didn't know and the maid automatically tightened her grip on the girl's tiny little body, trying to reassure her that they wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Vastra was eyeing the man suspiciously. He seemed like any other Victorian gentlemen but something was off about him. He didn't blink. His eyes stared directly into the Silurian's but not once was there a sign of movement in them. Something was wrong and both Jenny and Vastra knew it.

"Who are you?" Vastra hissed, "and why have you brought this child here? What is it you want from her?"

"This planet." The Silurian's head tilted to the side in interest as she waited for a further explanation. A child was not a weapon or a means of causing harm as far as she was concerned but she was intrigued as to how this gentlemen could see otherwise. "This world is small and worthless. It is too warm and it is wasted. I will show its people what the cold can do and I will make them mine as I do." He turned his attention to the child and whispered her name. A whimper broke free from her little lips and she buried her head in Jenny's neck. The words she had been whispering stopped and before Vastra had time to turn and see what was happening the air around her was filled with a deafening shriek.

"Vastra!" As she turned she encountered Jenny with a look of horror in her eyes as the girl in her arms appeared to start fitting. Arabella's little limbs twitched and shook and her eyes rolled back into her head. Her hands were still clinging to Jenny's shoulders and the maid winced in pain as little nails dug in through her catsuit and into her flesh.

"Jenny put her down."

"What?!" The maid's eyes burned into Vastra like flame and she clung even tighter to the little body she was holding. "You 'ave got to be jokin'! I aint leavin' 'er to fit on the dirty streets with 'im right there tryin' to 'arm 'er!" Vastra was a little taken aback by Jenny's sudden urge to protect the child. She knew that Jenny cared for other beings and wanted to keep them safe where possible but somehow she had never expected such ferocity from the girl. A part of her wished that her darling little human wasn't so kind hearted. Vastra knew what was happening to the child and she was certain Jenny couldn't protect her from it.

"Jenny, I mean it you must put the child down."

"I won't."

"You will die if you do not!" The Silurian's voice broke in desperation and Jenny froze, just staring at her. What did she mean she would die? Arabella was clearly ill but how would that affect Jenny? "He has done this on purpose. Jenny - the child's race, the reason they are peaceful is because their deaths are so easily brought about. Their names cannot be spoken three times by the same person. It is their curse. He said her name three times on purpose he knew it would make this happen. He is trying to freeze the earth." Vastra was becoming more and more desperate. She could see that Arabella was nearing her end. The child's fingers had turned blue and the colour had drained from her cheeks. "Please my love, please you must put her down. When she dies her body will be ripped apart. It will place an eternal winter over the earth and if you do not put her down you will be caught at the heart of it. You will be turned to ice." There were tears in Vastra's eyes and as Jenny saw them glistening in the moonlight it tugged at something in her heart. She had thought that Silurian's couldn't cry. Vastra had told her that they couldn't. So how were there tears in her eyes?

Jenny looked down at Arabella in her arms. She didn't want to leave a child so young to die alone. Although it was clear that any sense the little girl had had of what was happening around her was gone Jenny felt as though somewhere deep in her mind Arabella knew that she was there holding her. She wanted the poor little thing to feel loved as her life was taken from her, not alone.

"Jenny please!"


	19. A Near Miss

**Note: **Ah cliffhangers, such fun! I knew you'd all love me for that one... Not to worry tough, I was also impatient to see how it would turn out (funny that considering it's my story) so I was forced to write this next chapter very fast so that we could all find out! On a slightly more depressing note there are three ways that part of this could go and I think one of those ways could end in something very painful both for me to write and for you to read. I kind of hate my own imagination right now but something tells me I'm going to be taking that painful path so you may all want to prepare yourselves for something horrible to pop up within the next few chapters. I apologise profusely in advance. Enjoy the chapter my loves!

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

~.~.~.~.~.~

When Vastra opened her eyes she had no idea where she was or what had happened. The last thing she remembered was begging Jenny to put the child down and then... nothing. Everything went blank in her mind after that. Sitting up she looked around herself. The room she was in was odd to say the least. She seemed to be in a warm comfortable bed (well, as comfortable as a lady can be when waking to find herself still fully dressed in her Victorian attire despite having been asleep) but aside from that the room looked more like a nursery than a bedroom. There was a toy train racing around a track that circled the edge of the room, a grotesquely large teddy bear sat propped up against the end of the bed, hammocks in the far corner and about a hundred other children's toys all zooming around and making an unholy racket. Where on earth was she and how had she got there?

"Ah, good, you're awake." A familiar and chirpy voice danced through the room from just outside the door and Vastra audibly groaned at the sound of it. Of course it was him. Who else would decorate a bedroom as though it were an amusement park? But, if she was in the TARDIS then how had the Doctor found her? All of a sudden a nauseous feeling manifested itself in the pit of Vastra's stomach. In her confusion she had almost overlooked the most important question of all - where was Jenny? Pulling herself out of the bed she rushed through to the TARDIS console room, her heart racing. The Doctor grinned at her as she entered but Vastra was in no smiling mood.

"What happened? How did I get here?" Her voice was harsh and demanding. Under normal circumstances the Doctor would have berated her on her bad manners but since he knew she had had a rough evening he deemed it more appropriate to answer his friend's questions.

"It's all fine, nothing to worry about. I found you just in the nick of time. The Earth didn't freeze. That not-so-friendly friend of yours is gone..." He was about to continue but Vastra cut him off. Her patience levels were at an all time low, a bad sign for her considering she had never been particularly good at being patient.

"What about Jenny, where is Jenny? Oh god, please tell me she's okay!" She felt dizzy with worry. Why did the Doctor never answer the real question. Didn't he know that the only thing she really cared about was Jenny's wellbeing? She asked other questions but that did not mean she really cared for the answer. Of course he didn't. He was the Doctor, the man was totally incapable of understanding relationships or real levels of emotion. He looked at her with a perplexed look on his face for a moment. It was as though he didn't know who Jenny was at all. "Jenny... Doctor, where is she?! I swear if you don't tell me I'll..." Without warning, a cough resonated from behind the Silurian and she span around to find Jenny stood a few feet behind her, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Vastra couldn't speak. She'd thought, as she'd begged Jenny to put the child down, that she was going to lose her. She'd thought the worst when she had woken without her darling girl there with her. Within seconds Vastra had leapt over the short distance between them and pulled the girl to her chest, holding her so tightly that Jenny could barely breathe.

"Well, 'ello to you too" Jenny laughed slightly, embracing the lizard woman tightly and blushing a little as Vastra tilted her head back and kissed her. They'd never kissed in front of anyone before and of all people to be their first witness Jenny wasn't sure how she felt about it being the Doctor. As she pulled away from her love's lips gently Jenny felt something wet on her cheeks and, looking up at Vastra she understood. There were tears rolling down the woman's cheeks, following the pattern of her scales all the way down to her chin before gently dropping from her face. "'ey now, twice in one day," the maid brushed away one of the tears from her mistress' cheek, "that's a little excessive don't you think?" Vastra didn't care, she pulled Jenny back to her lips and continued to kiss her over and over until she finally felt certain that it was really her and that she wasn't just imagining that the girl was okay.

"Urgh, kissing and crying, why are couples so fond of that?" Neither of the women were listening, too lost in each other to even notice the Doctor's presence. As Vastra finally let their lips part she stepped back and looked Jenny over, checking for any slight signs of harm or distress.

"Are you okay my love? Are you hurt? What...?" Jenny pressed a finger to the Silurian's lips to silence her and Vastra immediately stopped speaking. Tears still leaked from the corners of her eyes and as Jenny removed her finger from the woman's lips she brushed each one away.

"I'm fine," she whispered, "Not even a bruise on me, I swear."

"But how? How is that possible? The child she was about to... and you wouldn't..." It was all becoming a little too much for Vastra and she simply couldn't find the words to ask all of the questions that were whirling around in her mind. Sensing her love's discomfort Jenny held her close, rubbing her lower back to calm her.

"Shhh, it's okay darlin'. Just calm down now."

"Actually Jenny, Vastra makes a good point. You see, I've been doing some tests since I picked the lot of you up and it turns out that you may just have saved the future of the human race by refusing to listen to your lovely... whatever you refer to each other as." Jenny would have rolled her eyes at the Doctor's immaturity but her mind was more focused on what he had just said. Saved the human race? Her? Surely not. "It's funny, everyone's always thought the Braxenon to be a weak race considering the whole name and death correlation thing but I think you just found the escape clause. You see, what happens when a Braxenon dies it that the ice particles suspended in their system take control of their entire being, filling them up until they're this big ice bomb type of thing ready to explode. But you counteracted that. Your body heat and your determination that that little girl wouldn't die feeling alone somehow melted the ice. I suppose. Not a very technical way to explain it but it's about right. You saved that little girl and the whole future of the human race."

Jenny was in shock. She'd saved an entire planet and she hadn't even realised that she was doing it. All she'd wanted was to protect the little girl. She didn't know why but for some reason it mattered to her. Maybe it was because of Sam. Maybe the knowledge that she would never see her little brother again had made her desperate to keep hold of some child, somehow. Perhaps Arabella had been a reflection of Jenny's pain over losing her brother. Whatever the reason she had done it. She had saved both the child and the planet. Not bad for her first day on the job.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Curled up in bed that evening Vastra found that she simply couldn't bring herself to let go of Jenny. The girl had fallen asleep very soon after they had returned home and for hours Vastra had been lay there with her love tucked up, safe and warm in her arms. It was strange for Vastra to consider that it wasn't even a full year ago that she had sworn to take revenge on the human race for the death of her sisters. To look at her in that moment it was barely believable. In her past life Vastra would never have dreamed of caring for a human and yet that day alone she had been in tears twice over her fear of losing Jenny. Before then she had been certain that Silurians were incapable of such an act. How far she had come in so short a period of time.

Vastra had long laid her doubts about her feelings for Jenny to rest. Despite the truth of the fact that her family, much like Jenny's own, would have been greatly displeased by her choice in a mate Vastra had come to an understanding with herself. The fact was that she was the only member of her immediate family left, and the remainder of her race still lay slumbering far down beneath the Earth's crust. Besides, it was a different time and, although the planet was the same physical planet, to Vastra it was a whole other world. She would not deny herself happiness from the prejudice of a society laid in hibernation far below her feet.

Jenny stirred in her arms and Vastra pulled her closer, pressing a possessive kiss to her sweet little human girl's forehead. How beautiful and peaceful she was when she slept. It would sometimes bother Vastra how Jenny's face would be marred with lines of worry and hardship during the daylight hours. For a girl so young she had suffered far too much and despite her beauty it showed. Still, as she slept those signs of Jenny's hard life seemed to melt away and the serenity in the girl's face was so unbelievably comforting to Vastra. She worried about Jenny more often than she cared to admit. She worried about the risk she placed Jenny in now that she was allowing her to accompany her on missions. She worried that one day Jenny would realise that there was more out there in the human world, things that Vastra couldn't give her. More than anything she worried about their future and how one day she knew she would have to watch her darling girl, her precious jewel, wither and die while she lived on. But as she watched Jenny sleep all of those worries would vanish. The possibilities that the future held were endless, but what happened in the present was what really counted and at present Jenny was safe and close and so very perfect.

"You're watchin' me sleep... again." A half smile flashed across Jenny's face and she opened her bleary eyes, blinking a few times until the blurred outline of Vastra's face came into focus. "Y'know, it's quite unsettlin' feelin' eyes watchin' you while you sleep, no matter 'ow beautiful they are." Vastra chuckled and she kissed Jenny's lips ever so softly.

"I know the feeling all too well," she murmured allowing a half smirk to curl her lips, "you didn't really think I was unaware of how you watched me in the mornings when you first came to work here, did you?" Jenny's eyes widened in shock and Vastra's half smirk grew into a whole as she regarded the girl in her arms. "You are not as discrete as you believe yourself to be my love."

"Can't say I didn't try though." The maid giggled and looked up at her mistress who still held their bodies close together. "Why are you still awake love? It's late an' we've 'ad a long day, you need your rest." Jenny was perfectly aware that Vastra was awake because she couldn't sleep. As much as she tried to pretend that it hadn't happened the girl couldn't deny that she had come within an inch of death that evening and she was lucky to be in that bed with Vastra at all. She'd seen how scared Vastra had been. She'd seen her cry for the first time ever, it was enough for Jenny to know that Vastra wouldn't be comfortable enough to sleep for a long while yet.

"I am happier watching you sleep my dear. It will only be for a little while longer, it calms me." The Silurian was trying her best to push away the fear that watching Jenny come so close to death had planted in her heart. She said that watching Jenny calmed her, and it did, but she knew the real reason she was doing it was because she couldn't bear to look away. She was fully aware that her sweet girl was safe again and that she would remain safe as long as Vastra could protect her, but the events of that evening had ended in a lucky escape. Neither of the women had known that Jenny would be able to save Arabella. If they hadn't been so lucky both Jenny and the child would have been dead and the rest of the planet would have been heading the same way. "Go back to sleep love." Jenny nodded but she didn't close her eyes. She looked up at Vastra for a short while longer and she shifted her head so that she could kiss her goodnight.

"About what 'appened," she whispered as she cuddled close against the other woman's body once more, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to 'urt you or scare you... I just wanted to protect that little girl. I know it sounds daft, I didn't even know 'er, but I kept thinkin' about 'er mother and 'ow she would feel if 'er daughter died with no one lookin' after 'er. If I 'ad a chid..." Jenny shook her head and nuzzled against Vastra's neck softly, "it would 'ave broken my 'eart if I were in 'er mother's place."

"We can forget it now. The child is safely home with her mother and you and I are both okay, that is all that is important." Vastra kissed Jenny's head and breathed in the scent of her hair deeply. She understood why Jenny had done it but she wasn't sure she could bear to watch it happen again. "Sleep well my love."


	20. An Emotional Day

Jenny had been in the strangest mood for what seemed like a very long time and for the life of her Vastra just couldn't figure out what could be the cause. She knew that human emotions were often erratic and that, more often than not, they could be changed very quickly, but Jenny's mood swings were becoming more and more unpredictable and it was reaching a point where Vastra was beginning to worry. She supposed Jenny was still recovering from the shock of losing her family and the heart ache that it had caused, and of course she had almost died not too long ago, but even with those emotional blows in mind she could not understand how one minute the girl could be angry at her for some comment or another that she had made against the human species and the next she could be practically ripping her clothes off in a moment of passion. There was something wrong, Vastra just couldn't figure out what it was.

As she stepped out into the garden one warm spring morning she caught sight of Jenny sat leaning against the tree at the bottom of the garden looking up at the sky. She wondered how long the girl had been there. When Vastra had woken up that morning Jenny hadn't been by her side and her breakfast was nowhere to be seen. Although there had been a few occasions on which this had happened in the past couple of weeks it still seemed out of character in Vastra's eyes that Jenny would waste time like that. The girl had always said to her in the past that she would much rather use her time productively than sit around daydreaming, and yet there she was doing just that.

Vastra made her way down to the tree that Jenny was sat under and carefully lowered herself to sit down next to the girl. Jenny didn't look at her. At first she didn't even acknowledge her presence and Vastra wondered if she had done something to warrant receiving the silent treatment. She didn't think that she had. Jenny had been a little snippy with her the night before but that was only because Vastra had insisted that she stay home rather than working the case she had planned for that night. In all honesty she had thought Jenny could do with a rest. The girl had been complaining all day about how tired she was and Vastra had thought she could do with an early night; Jenny on the other hand did not agree and so, stubborn as she was, she had sat up until Vastra had got home and then insisted on making love to her until the early hours of the morning. The Silurian had thought they had ended the night on extremely good terms so she was confused as to why Jenny was ignoring her. It wasn't until the girl gently lowered her head onto her shoulder that she realised that she was not being ignored at all.

"Sorry darlin', I got a little distracted. I'll be in to make your breakfast in a minute, I promise." Jenny's voice seemed distant and her eyes continued to scan the sky above them, carefully scrutinizing each cloud or bird she caught sight of while being careful to avoid looking directly at the sun. Vastra curled her arm around the maid's waist and pulled her closer to her side. She stroked the girl's hip gently with the tips of her fingers and pressed a kiss to her head. It concerned her how distant Jenny seemed to be getting. She was having moments like this more and more often lately, interestingly enough beginning around the same time that her mood swings did.

"Is everything okay my love?" She asked softly. She turned her gaze down to Jenny who had curled herself into the other woman's body and watched as the girl pulled her attention away from the clouds for long enough to look into the Silurian's sharp and yet soft blue eyes.

"O' course ma'am, why wouldn't it be?"

"You just do not seem to be acting like yourself as of late my dear, I have been worrying about you." Jenny frowned slightly. Had she been acting differently? She didn't think so. What was Vastra trying to say? The maid parted her lips to speak but Vastra quickly cut her off. "Wait, no, that is not what I meant. What I mean is, you have been awfully quiet and distracted dear." She had seen the thoughts crossing Jenny's mind as she had spoken and knew the girl was about to misinterpret what she had said. She could almost sense an argument brewing and thought it best to change what she had said. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure she had made it much better.

"Quiet? I wasn't quiet last night was I? Or yesterday while I was workin'? Or over dinner? I don't think I've been quiet at all ma'am, what on earth are you talkin' about?" Vastra cursed herself internally. She should have known better than to say anything. Jenny's mood was too unpredictable to take risks like that, and she almost always found fault with anything Vastra said. It was almost as though she wanted to have an argument.

"That is not what I meant either dear. I just mean, you have been going off by yourself a lot. It made me feel as though something may be wrong. If there is something wrong Jenny you do know you can talk to me don't you?"

"But I already told you ma'am, there aint nothin' wrong!" Vastra sighed. There it was. The accent. Whenever Jenny began to get annoyed her accent had a tendency to get stronger and stronger. Vastra was thankful for it in some ways, it at least made it a little easier to prevent an argument from occurring, but once an argument had begun it also made it a great deal more difficult for the Silurian to understand what her maid was saying.

Extracting her arm from around Jenny, Vastra pressed another kiss to the girl's temple and muttered "I only mention it because I worry my dear, and I only worry because I care." She went to pull herself back up from the ground but stopped when she felt a small warm hand pulling her down again.

"Wait..." Jenny had tears in her eyes all of a sudden and Vastra immediately changed her mind about leaving. She took hold of Jenny's hand in one of her own and lifted the other to brush a stray tear from under her eye. "I'm sorry," the girl sniffed, squeezing her mistress' hand tightly, "I've been so awful to you lately. I'm always losin' my temper with you. I don't know what's wrong with me, I just can't control it." The tears were rolling freely down her cheeks and her grip on Vastra's hand was almost crippling.

"Oh my darling, my poor darling girl..." she loosened Jenny's grip from her hand and pulled the girl onto her lap. Jenny automatically curled into Vastra's body and buried her face in her neck. The Silurian could feel warm tears rolling down between her scales and soaking into the fabric of her dress as they reached her shoulder. She hugged Jenny tightly to herself. Vastra hated watching the girl cry, it broke her heart. It was a little comforting to know that Jenny was just as confused as she was about her mood swings but it also made her worry a little more. If Jenny couldn't explain the cause then what on earth could it be?

"I don't know why you're still puttin' up with me, I really don't." the girl sobbed. Vastra thought her heart would shatter that second.

"Don't you dare ever think like that. I love you. I love everything about you. Jenny, have I not told you that I am yours - always!" She gently tucked her fingers under the maid's chin and tilted her face up to look at her. "Now, you listen to me my love, it does not matter to me how many times you lose your temper with me or how many times we argue or disagree, nothing will change my love for you. Nothing could make me want to stop having you in my life." Vastra had hoped reassuring the girl of her love would make her smile but somehow it only made Jenny cry more. She pulled Vastra's face to her own and kissed her deeply, tears still rolling down her cheeks as she did so. She had needed to hear that Vastra wouldn't be scared off so easily. She had needed the reassurance.

"I love you so much, you know that don't you?" Jenny honestly wasn't sure. She knew she said it often enough for the woman to know but that didn't mean that Vastra really understood. It didn't mean that her darling lizard could entirely comprehend just how much she meant to her. "Even when I'm bleedin' awful to you an' I act like I 'ate you." A small smile tugged at the corners of Vastra's mouth and she tucked a stray strand of Jenny's hair gently behind her ear.

"I know" she whispered.

"No, but really? I'd do anythin' for you. Sometimes I get so scared that I'm not enough an' that I need to try 'arder to be more for you. I'm just a silly little 'uman girl, I'm nothin' compared to you. I just..." Vastra had heard enough. She knew where Jenny was going with that train of thought and she had no wish to hear it. She kissed the girl again to shut her up and as she pulled back she shook her head and sighed. Did Jenny really see herself that way? As something so inferior just because of her species? Vastra supposed she didn't help matters. Even though she tried her hardest not to she still had difficulty holding back jibes against humanity. A few days before she had as good as said they were no more than mindless animals. She didn't mean to be offensive, she just forgot that Jenny was human. She had spent so long with the girl, loving and adoring every bone in her body, that in her mind she was an honorary Silurian. She was every bit as intelligent as any Silurian Vastra had ever known and every bit as capable in battle. In some ways Jenny was even superior - that little bit of human emotion and compassion just pushed her that one step further than Silurian capabilities.

"You may be a silly little human girl my love but you are my silly little human girl. You are everything that I need and more. I do not want you thinking that you are not enough, do you understand? Put those thoughts out of your mind." Jenny nodded. She knew that Vastra was right and that she shouldn't be thinking so ill of herself. It was just so difficult for her not to look at herself in comparison to the Silurian when their lives were so closely intertwined.

"Right. Well, I think it's time I made breakfast, don't you?" Before Vastra could even answer the girl had lifted herself out of her love's lap and was heading back towards the house. Just moments ago she had been in floods of tears and all of a sudden they had evaporated and it seemed as though nothing had happened. Vastra didn't think she would ever get used to these mood swings of Jenny's.

~.~.~.~.~.~

As Vastra entered the drawing room later that day she was surprised to find a familiar blue box parked up in front of the fire place. She wasn't really in the right mood to be entertaining that day but considering how rare visits from the Doctor were she supposed she shouldn't be picky. Hesitantly she crossed the room to the TARDIS doors and knocked firmly three times. Almost instantly the door swung open and the Doctor appeared with a big grin on his face.

"Oh good, you're in!" He swung himself out into the room and spun once before stopping directly in front of his friend. Vastra was sure he was expecting something from her but she had no idea what it was he was expecting. He rocked back and forth on his feet and grinned at her for a good few minutes before he finally came to the realisation that she had no idea what he wanted her to say. "Well, aren't you going to tell me?" That confused Vastra even more. What on earth was the man on about now?

"Tell you what?" Her head tilted to the side ever so slightly and she furrowed her brow in confusion. Was she supposed to have news for him? The problem with having a time travelling friend was always that he never turned up where he expected to.

"Oh come on, you don't have to pretend!" He leaned towards her conspiratorially and whispered "I know..."

"You know what?" Vastra could see the pattern this conversation would be taking. Clearly the Doctor was oblivious to the fact that she really had no idea what he was talking about. She was almost certain that he would practically have told her what she was supposed to be telling him before she even knew what it was herself. The Doctor rolled his eyes and grinned again.

"You know... Jenny!" Well that was maddeningly unhelpful. Of course she knew Jenny, or she should hope she knew her considering how many intimate moments the two had shared. Realising that Vastra still wasn't playing along the Doctor sighed. "When I was trying to figure out how she didn't die on that case I did some scans on her, you know, just routine stuff..." Vastra still looked puzzled. "Oh dear, you really don't know do you?"

"Don't know what?" Jenny had heard the Doctor's voice from down in the kitchen and as she entered she brought with her a tray laid out with tea for the three of them (Vastra's cup containing a little blood, of course). She placed the tea tray down on the coffee table and indicated for the other two to sit.

"Yes, she's right, you will need to sit down." The Doctor muttered and he pulled up a chair opposite the two ladies who settled themselves on the sofa behind them.

"Doctor, you are talking in riddles and you know how it frustrates me. Please, if there is something we need to be told could you have the courtesy to just tell us." The Doctor fell silent. His eyes flicked between the Silurian who was regarding him curiously and her maid who was listening to the conversation while pouring the tea. He had a look of utter bewilderment on his face. Surely they should know by now. He knew he was later than he'd intended to be in talking to them about it, surely they couldn't still have no clue what was going on. Vastra, realising that the Doctor had lost himself in his own thoughts as he often did, waved her hand in front of his face and persisted, "Doctor! You said something about Jenny and scans... what is it? Is there something wrong?"

Jenny, who had just finished up pouring the tea, looked up at the mention of her name. She was intrigued by what could possibly have gotten the Doctor so excitable that concerned her. The Doctor still didn't speak. He couldn't believe that they had missed it altogether. Both women continued to look at him expectantly and he finally snapped back from his musings.

"She's pregnant." Jenny had just taken a sip of tea but as the words left the Doctor's lips her eyes bulged and she immediately spat it back out again.

"What?!" She was coughing and spluttering, attempting to calm herself while mopping up the mess she had made with her tea. Surely she had heard him wrong. He couldn't possibly have just said...

"You're pregnant."

"But... Doctor, I know mating is not exactly your area of expertise but surely even you know that is impossible." Vastra was trying to maintain her composed facade. Her heart had almost stopped when the Doctor had first said it but she had quickly calmed herself knowing full well that he couldn't be right. Biologically it was impossible. She and Jenny were both women. It simply did not work that way. And yet, it would account for the girl's mood swings and distraction.

"I don't know Vastra, there's never been a Silurian/Human... you know... mating and all of that. For all we know, it is possible. Inter-species relations are always tricky."

Jenny seemed to have completely lost the ability to speak. She was staring at the Doctor as though he had sprouted two extra heads and, although her lips kept parting, no words were formed in her attempts to speak. Vastra, on the other hand, was not so dumbstruck. She looked over at Jenny for a moment but turning back to the Doctor she frowned slightly.

"You're serious, aren't you?" He nodded and smirked slightly at the look of shock on Vastra's face. Slowly the Silurian lifted her tea cup to her lips and took a sip before placing it back down. Her hand subconsciously reached for Jenny's as she gulped down her tea and Jenny finally managed to snap herself out of it for long enough to shuffle closer to her love and take her scaled hand in both of her own. "How long?"

"About two months, give or take however long it took me to get here. Time travel, what can you do." He shrugged and looked between Vastra and Jenny, waiting for one of them to say something. The two women turned to look at one another in silent bewilderment and the Doctor sighed. "You know, I was hoping for a bit more excitement."

Jenny seemed totally lost as she looked at Vastra and, although the Silurian wished she were more certain about the situation, felt just as confused as her darling girl. Silently the two seemed to have a conversation with their eyes, communicating to one another every fear and uncertainty they felt. Of all of the reasons they could have foreseen for the Doctor's visit this had not been one of them. He had caught them off guard and neither Vastra or Jenny had any idea what they could say to him.

"Doctor," Jenny finally managed to choke out, looking away from Vastra reluctantly to face him, "I know under normal circumstances you'd be gettin' a more positive reaction, but this isn't somethin' we were prepared for."

"Oh, no one's ever prepared for it Jenny. That doesn't make it any less of a good thing!"

"What she means, Doctor, is that we do not know what to expect from a child of ours. Will it be more human or more Silurian? How are we to raise a child of mixed species within Victorian London? Surely you realise that a child will not be as easily concealed as myself." Vastra seemed particularly worried about that point and she was about to continue when Jenny cut over her.

"I aint gonna lay an egg am I...?" The terror in the girl's eyes was clear but the Doctor still couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Oi! This is no laughin' matter! Vastra's always said, she was 'atched, not born. 'ow would you feel if you'd just been told you were gonna be layin' an egg rather than givin' birth like every other woman on the planet?!" He knew he shouldn't have been laughing but Jenny's protestations only made the matter funnier. It took a few minutes and a stern warning look from Vastra but eventually the Doctor pulled himself together.

"You won't lay an egg Jenny, that's not how your body works. You don't have the parts that Silurians have to make eggs. Your child will be born relatively normally, that's a fact." Jenny blushed a little, feeling slightly silly for thinking of herself laying an egg. She would have laughed had it not been for the 'relatively' in the last part of what the Doctor said.

"Relatively?" Apparently Vastra had picked up on that too as she scrutinized the Doctor closely on hearing the word. "What do you mean 'relatively normal'?"

"No one can say for sure how it will work. I can't tell you what the baby will look like or how much of each of you it will have in it but that's the same as any other baby. I'm sure it'll all be fine." Vastra looked doubtful and Jenny still appeared to be terrified but both nodded their heads anyway.

"Well," Vastra muttered, gently extracting her hand from Jenny's to stand up, "I think perhaps we will need a little time alone to come to terms with this. Thank you for coming Doctor." He couldn't help but feel that she didn't sound thankful at all, but he supposed he understood why.

"I'll come and check in on you in a week or so," he smiled but he received none in return. "Nice to see you both." He allowed Vastra to usher him back into the TARDIS and then he was gone.

Jenny sat perfectly still as the Doctor left. Her eyes were fixed on the floor just at her feet and at some point her hand had made its way to rest on her stomach. Something told her it was going to be a long night trying to get used to this idea, but she had to admit she wasn't entirely opposed to it.


	21. The Aftermath

As the sound of the TARDIS faded away Vastra turned to look at Jenny. The girl was deathly pale, her eyes downcast and she had one hand resting gently on her stomach. To a clueless bystander she would have looked as though she had just seen a ghost but Vastra knew why her darling Jenny was in such distress. They were both in shock. When they had been sat under the tree in the garden that morning neither of them had expected the day to end with the news that they were going to be mothers.

"Jenny...?" Dark eyes flicked up from the floor and fixed themselves on the Silurian. There were tears swimming in their depths, barely being held back as Jenny focused all of her efforts on trying to stay calm. She wanted to speak, to say something to break the silence, but she was scared that if she tried the tears would flow free and there would be nothing she could do to stop it. She felt her lower lip tremble and immediately squeezed her eyes shut feeling the first tear roll onto her cheek.

Vastra must have moved at the speed of light because it seemed as though Jenny's eyes had only just closed as she felt the woman's body next to her, pulling her close and allowing her to bury her face in her shoulder. The Silurian rubbed her back and kissed her hair, hushing her and whispering soothing words until Jenny had managed to cry herself into a state of fatigued rest. She wasn't entirely sure why she was crying if she was honest, perhaps it was just a mix of the shock and her hormones. Slowly she lifted her head to look up at Vastra once more and as she caught hold of her love's gaze she noticed a slight hint of hurt in the gentle blue orbs.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, trying to wipe away a few stray tears from her cheeks, "I don't think I've 'andled this very well..." She managed to smile ever so slightly and once again she dropped a hand to her stomach. Vastra's eyes seemed to follow Jenny's hand as it moved and for a short while her eyes were fixed on the girl's stomach. She couldn't quite believe that there was a little creature in there. A little creature that was made up of just her and Jenny. It was theirs. Maybe that was why it had hurt so much when the maid had begun to cry. Somehow Vastra couldn't shake the fear that those tears were a sign that Jenny didn't want this. She knew that the girl was young, and that it was all such a shock, but in the Silurian's eyes anything that they created could be nothing but perfection. Not a flaw. Not a mistake. But did Jenny see it that way?

"Are you okay?" It had taken Vastra a short while to find the words but they had come to her eventually. Jenny had been watching as the woman stared at her stomach, almost mesmerised. She wandered what Vastra was thinking. Was she as scared as Jenny? Maybe not, after all she wasn't the one with the child inside her.

"I'm okay... just..." She didn't know how she could explain all of the thoughts rushing through her mind. Her head was pounding and she felt as though her brain might melt from the sheer pressure that all of her musings were placing on it. "It's all so sudden, isn't it?" Vastra nodded. There was a feeling in the pit of the Silurian's stomach that she couldn't quite shift. It was nerves, she knew that, but what was causing them? The baby? Jenny's reaction? The suddenness of it all? She just didn't know. Jenny was watching her closely, her eyes scanning her face as they so often did when neither of them could find the words to explain how they were feeling. The girl had a knack for understanding Vastra without words being necessary - human instinct she supposed. Vastra didn't quite have that ability.

"What are you thinking?" She had to know. She tried to avoid asking it of Jenny but she couldn't shift the urgent need she had to know how the girl felt about the baby. Jenny was too unreadable for Vastra to just figure it out like the girl did with her. She was too complicated at the best of times, and even more so with her moods all out of whack.

"I'm thinkin' about 'ow scary this is," she sighed "and 'ow, if you'd asked me 'ow I'd feel about being a mother this mornin', I would 'ave said I wasn't ready." Vastra tensed up and Jenny immediately slid her hand over to squeeze the other woman's reassuringly. She wished Vastra would let her finish speaking before jumping to conclusions. The Silurian wasn't very patient when it came to allowing Jenny to answer her and more often than not she would get the wrong idea before the maid had even finished giving her her response. "But," she continued, looking up into Vastra's eyes, "now, I think maybe we can do it."

Vastra's head tilted slightly in confusion. Had she just heard that right? Was Jenny really saying that she was okay with it? As if reading her mind Jenny shuffled a little closer to the Silurian. She gently took Vastra's hand in both of her own and guided it to rest on her stomach, pressing the cool, scaled palm against the point where their child was growing.

"No need to look so shocked love" she murmured as she studied her love's reactions carefully. Vastra's eyes were once again fixed on the girl's stomach and their hands entwined over it.

"I... I only thought... you were crying, and I assumed..." Jenny giggled and Vastra pulled her gaze away from her stomach. "What? What are you laughing at?"

"Nothin'," the girl smiled and lifted one hand to cup the other woman's cheek, "just you an' your assumptions again. You really thought I'd be un'appy about this?" Vastra shrugged a little awkwardly and Jenny shook her head. "When are you gonna start just askin' me 'ow I feel, hm? It really would save you a lot of worry an' bother love."

"I know. You are right of course, you always are." A scaled cheek nuzzled against Jenny's warm palm and the girl sighed contentedly. "I promise, no more assumptions. Anything to make you happy my love."

~.~.~.~.~.~

When the two women finally managed to make their way up to bed the hour was ridiculously late and Jenny was more than ready to sleep. She was almost certain that as soon as her head hit the pillow she would instantly fall into the land of dreams and not return to the waking world until well into the morning. Vastra had already insisted that she should stop her maid duties for a few days at least. She had wanted Jenny to stop all together, but she knew that that was a long shot and so she settled for her sweet girl simply having a short break.

In the past month or so Vastra had taken a liking to unlacing Jenny's corset for her at the end of each day. Jenny had asked why at first but Vastra had refused to tell her although the girl was pretty sure it was only because, more often than not, the act had a tendency to lead onto more risqué practices. Even so, as Vastra's nimble fingers pulled at the lacing of her corset that night, loosening it bit by bit, she seemed a little distracted.

"You know, you should not be wearing this love, it's not good for the baby." Jenny raised an eyebrow earning her a withering look from the Silurian who caught sight of it in the mirror just opposite to the side of the bed the girl was perched on. "What was that look for? I was only saying..."

"Yes, my love, but I didn't know there was a baby when I was dressin' this mornin' did I?" the girl sighed and shook her head slightly. "You're not gonna be like this the whole way through the pregnancy are you?"

"Like what?!" Vastra stopped for a moment and regarded the girl's reflection in the mirror. She could see that Jenny was tired, and that she probably didn't mean to cause offense, but still something in what she had said had hurt Vastra. The Silurian hadn't been aware that there was anything wrong in her commenting on the girl's attire, what had she managed to say that was so wrong?

"Givin' me points on what's good for the baby an' what's not. I mean, we only just found out an' already you're tellin' me off for wearin' a corset."

"I only commented that it was not good for the baby."

"Yeah an' I know that. An' I wasn't plannin' on wearing it tomorrow for that exact reason. What did you want me to do, predict that I would find out I'm 'avin' a baby today and dress accordin'ly?!" Jenny didn't mean to be so snappy. She knew that she was tired and that her emotions were riling her up again as they had been doing for a while, but she couldn't seem to suppress her annoyance. She didn't even know why she was angry about it, Vastra was only showing she cared, but for some reason the girl couldn't stop herself from snapping.

Vastra sighed, trying to tell herself that it was only the pregnancy and the hormones. She finished loosening Jenny's corset and pulled it off of her before crawling over to her own side of the bed and curling up under the sheets. Jenny turned to look at the woman over her shoulder but she had turned her back. The girl cursed herself internally. Why was she being like that? Why did she have to push Vastra away when she knew that she needed her more than she ever had before? Her annoyance at herself only made her more angry and she threw her corset down onto the floor, stomping out of the room with her nightdress in hand to finish changing elsewhere.

Vastra hated when they fought. She hated knowing that Jenny was upset and she hated knowing that it was all her fault. If she wasn't so insensitive then there would have been no reason for Jenny to snap at her. Clearly she had said something wrong without meaning to as she always did. She didn't blame her sweet girl for being so angry with her. She was sure she would have been angry with herself in Jenny's position. What Vastra couldn't understand was why Jenny had put up with her for so long - why she continued to put up with her.

A door opened and closed somewhere in the house and Vastra could hear Jenny's footsteps coming back towards the room. She listened as the girl shut the bedroom door behind her and slid into the bed. A warm little body wrapped itself around Vastra's own and she instinctively allowed herself to release all of the tension in her body. Soft lips pressed against the scales on the back of Vastra's neck and she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the tingling feeling each of Jenny's kisses left in its wake.

"I'm sorry," the girl whispered softly, only ceasing the kisses for long enough to speak, "I'm so sorry. I'm 'orrible to you an' you don't deserve it. An' I'm sorry." Vastra shook her head and was about to speak but Jenny hadn't finished. "Don't do that. Don't shake your 'ead like I'm talkin' rubbish darlin', you know as well as I do that it's true."

"If I had not said anything about the corset..."

"No. That's no excuse. I shouldn't be so 'orrible to you no matter what you say."

"But you don't mean a word of it." Vastra rolled over to face her darling girl and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Jenny had been crying again, her eyes were all red and puffy. The Silurian kissed each eye gently and then pressed her forehead against Jenny's and pulled the girl so close that their lips were only inches apart. "You are not intentionally horrible to me Jenny, I know that. We very rarely fought before you got pregnant, and certainly never as we did before," she rubbed the girl's lower back and kissed her once, "it is the hormones that are making things more difficult for us, but it will get easier, I'm sure." The girl nodded and smiled slightly. Vastra had such a talent for calming her. She didn't know how the woman did it but just a few words from Vastra could take Jenny from thinking the world was ending to being entirely at peace in herself.

"I love you" Jenny was beginning to doze off and the words were small and soft as they passed her lips but Vastra couldn't suppress her smile at hearing them. She kissed her darling girl again and lay back so that Jenny could rest her head on her shoulder and curl into her as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

The Silurian lay awake for a long time after the girl had dozed off. She held Jenny to her with one arm while the fingers of her free hand traced delicate patterns over her love's stomach. As she lay there in the dark silence of the night she tried to imagine what their child would look like. It was hard for her to even begin to think of how a human/Silurian mixed child may look but she tried to picture it all the same. Vastra imagined a tiny little baby like the ones that she had seen human women carrying around with them in the streets of London, only the baby she imagined didn't have the same fleshy quality about it and it certainly wasn't of a normal human colour. She imagined the child with emerald scales like her own, only much softer and more sensitive. She imagined that its crests were less prominent than any Silurian child she had ever seen and she even wondered if it might have little shell like ears like Jenny's as opposed to her own lack of the outer shell of the ear. Whatever the child looked like she knew it would be beautiful, how could it not with Jenny as a mother?


	22. Judgement

**Note: **Okay, I haven't updated in a whole 7 days and quite frankly I am appalled at myself! I am so sorry I have made you wait so long my loves. However, you will be pleased to know that I have finally finished my first year at University and I am now back home for the summer, so you can expect the frequency of my updates to increase again. YAY! On a totally unrelated note I am genuinely a little scared about how perceptive some of you are. Quite often I'm finding that when you review with ideas concerning the future of this fic some of you are scarily close to reading my mind and honestly that's a rather terrifying thought. Even so, I think there will still be some surprises to come so don't think you have me totally figured out just yet. I hope you enjoy the chapter and as always reviews would be lovely as your feedback really does mean the world to me!

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

~.~.~.~.~.~

It had only been a few weeks since Jenny had found out that she was pregnant and already it was making her life more difficult than it had to be. The girl was not happy about it. She never seemed to have enough energy to get up in the mornings anymore and once she had finally managed to wake herself up and start going about her daily business her motivation to do anything even remotely useful had all but disappeared. Jenny had taken a week off on Vastra's orders so that she could relax a bit but once the week was up she had found it ridiculously difficult to get back into the habit of working and although she tried to just get on with it her lack of motivation was making her grumpy. On several occasions Vastra had told Jenny that it didn't matter if she cleaned or not and that the housework could wait until she felt up to it but the girl just couldn't see it that way. Despite her lack of motivation the thought of a messy home made Jenny increasingly uncomfortable.

However, in the few weeks since the maid had gone back to her usual duties she had been avoiding the work more often than she would have liked and despite her wish to keep her home looking presentable Jenny simply didn't seem to be able to keep her mind on cleaning for long enough to make any real difference. Instead, she would often find herself being distracted by far less productive practices such as reading, shopping, knitting, sewing and quite frequently distracting Vastra from her own work with all sorts of questions about Silurian babies and how they differed from human babies (Jenny didn't want to take any risks considering how little they knew about a human and Silurian hybrid). Recently though, the girl's main distraction had been found in spending large amounts of time in front of the full length mirror in the bedroom where she had taken to scrutinising the size of her ever expanding stomach.

Each day when Vastra went out for her meetings with Scotland Yard Jenny would withdraw herself to the bedroom and strip down to her underwear, standing in front of the mirror and fixing her eyes on her rounded stomach that had been growing more rapidly than she had ever imagined it would. At first Jenny's choice to spend her time in front of the mirror had been entirely out of curiosity but as the days passed the girl found that her motives seemed to be changing. The bigger Jenny's belly grew the more she was beginning to wonder how others would judge her on seeing her around London and the thought of what the higher classes might think was beginning to worry her. Although Jenny had been hiding her pregnancy well since she had found out about the baby she was becoming increasingly aware when in public that her swelling stomach was becoming more and more noticeable and that her lack of a wedding ring or even something resembling a relationship would be overtly damaging to her reputation. More often than not Jenny was alone when she ventured out into the wider world and on the few occasions that she was accompanied by Vastra both women knew all too well that they could not openly show affection to one another. So where did that leave Jenny? The answer was simple - once the pregnancy became too obvious to the rest of the world she would appear to be the sort of girl that society would throw into the gutter in the hope that she and her bastard child would slowly wither and die. She would seem to be a single mother who had no hope of being accepted by society and the fear of it was becoming more real in Jenny's mind with every day that passed.

Standing in front of the mirror on day Jenny sighed to herself softly as she took one last look at her stomach then quickly redressed herself, knowing that Vastra could return home at any moment. The mistress of the house had said that she was only going out on an errand and Jenny didn't want to risk being caught. She knew Vastra would worry if she found her scrutinizing herself as she so often did. As it was Vastra had been worrying a lot about anything that could possibly concern the baby and Jenny didn't want to give the woman any more reason for concern.

Jenny had just finished dressing and was about to leave when she caught sight of herself in the mirror once more. She stopped for a second, her eyes frozen on the protruding bulge where her flat stomach had once been. It was strange to see herself like that. The bump was only small but until that point Jenny had never been able to make it out under her clothing before. She felt a lump in her throat and all of a sudden she was too afraid to even swallow.

"Is something wrong my dear?" Jenny's eyes snapped up to the door and she found Vastra stood just inside the threshold, watching her closely. The girl wished her mistress didn't have such a talent for sneaking around like that. It put her on edge how easily the Silurian could sneak up on her, not that she had anything to hide, she just liked her privacy at times and often Vastra didn't seem to understand that.

"No, nothin'" Jenny smiled softly and Vastra made her way over to the girl stood by the mirror. She didn't entirely believe that everything was okay; Jenny seemed to be becoming increasingly uncomfortable and the Silurian had a feeling that it had something to do with the pregnancy. Until that moment she had kept her fears to herself, knowing Jenny didn't like her to worry, but the look of terror on the girl's face as she watched her from the doorway was just too much for Vastra to handle.

"Are you sure? You are not feeling sick or weary? The baby is not causing you any discomfort?" She stood behind Jenny and gently wrapped her arms around her darling girl's waist, allowing her fingers to dance over her raised abdomen lightly. The maid laced her fingers between the other woman's and held their hands over her stomach as she leant back into Vastra's strong, cool form. The feeling eased her a little, being close to Vastra always seemed to have that effect on her.

"I'm feelin' a little sick an' tired, but that's only to be expected. It i'n't causin' me discomfort as such, just..." Jenny fixed her gaze on Vastra in the mirror. The Silurian was looking down at her with such love and desperation to protect her in her eyes that the girl knew she had to be honest with her, even if it would make her worry. "I'm not gonna be able to keep goin' out much longer." Vastra tilted her head in confusion and the maid sighed. Sometimes it was so difficult having to explain to her love why things couldn't be done in certain ways in Victorian society. It was one of the few things that put a strain on their relationship when Jenny just needed Vastra to understand simple parts of everyday life. "Vastra just think what people would say. I aint married, I 'aven't got an 'usband or even a partner as far as everyone out there in the world is concerned. It looks shameful to them now that the baby's startin' to show more."

"You have me." The Silurian's brow was furrowed and her grip around Jenny tightened slightly as though she feared the girl was about to push her away. "Whatever anyone else says, you know you have me."

"Yeah, I know that, but no one else does. No one else can know it Vastra." The girl turned in the Silurian's arms slightly and tilted her head to look up into the woman's soft cerulean eyes. "It's just 'ow society works my love, girls who aren't married an' 'ave a baby get looked down on. It's silly really, but that's 'ow the people around 'ere see it." Vastra seemed so innocent sometimes. Just her inability to understand the prejudices of those around them made the Silurian appear to be so naive. It made Jenny smile a little to know that, despite her infinite knowledge, there were still a few simple facts of life that Vastra couldn't quite grasp.

"Oh, my love" Vastra's eyes scanned over Jenny's face and the girl instinctively turned her gaze away. She knew the Silurian was going to argue; Vastra never had agreed with Victorian customs and beliefs, why should this be any different? Cool fingers tucked a stray strand of Jenny's hair behind her ear and the maid bit down on her bottom lip lightly. She could still feel Vastra's eyes observing her, almost as though the woman were attempting to probe her mind, and Jenny just wished she would say something rather than keeping them both stood there in silence. "Sit." Jenny turned her gaze back to Vastra and the other woman gently guided her to sit on the edge of their bed. Carefully Vastra lowered herself to kneel on the floor in front of the girl and she looked up into Jenny's eyes, trying to hold the girl's attention. "Jenny, you cannot let the society in which we live drive you to the point where you are considering hiding away in the house forever to avoid the talk of others. Surely you can see how ridiculous that would be."

"Well, when you put it like that yes, but..." Vastra pressed a finger to the girl's lips and shook her head. Apparently she hadn't finished.

"You know I have never understood why you let the opinions of others dictate what you can and cannot do. What does it matter what the apes think?" Jenny scowled at Vastra's use of the term but the Silurian ignored her. She was trying to make a point. "What I am trying to say, my love, is that you cannot just lock yourself away in our home until the child is born merely because some people may think badly of you. It would not be good for anyone but those who place their egos over the wellbeing and happiness of those around them. I understand that this is how you were raised and I know the trouble that any other woman would face in your position, but you are not alone my love. You are not cast out by everyone you love because you have me." Vastra took hold of one of Jenny's hands and guided it to her own cheek. She nuzzled her face against the soft, warm skin and looked up into the girl's eyes as she kissed the ends of each finger in turn. "Please my love, I only ask that you try not to allow the opinions of others to impact how you live your life. It is not fair on you and it will not be fair on our child once it is born."

Jenny didn't know what to say. For all of the eloquence and knowledge with which the Silurian had been speaking the maid had somehow managed to miss most of the words. The point that Vastra had been making, however, had not been made in vain. As always she was right. What good would it do Jenny to shut herself away? She would only become restless and unhappy as she knew all too well. The maid never had been much good at spending all of her time in one place, she needed change or the monotony would drive her mad. But in the back of her mind Jenny still had a niggling fear that allowing herself out into the world as she was would cause problems. She could almost imagine the feeling of all of the eyes following her as she walked through the streets and the fear of it made her feel even more nauseous than she already was.

"I don't know... I don't know if I can..." Jenny wanted to explain her fears to Vastra; she wanted to make her love see why she felt safer within the walls of their home. Somehow though, she feared that the Silurian would never be able to understand it.

"Perhaps we could try," Vastra knelt up so that her eye line levelled with Jenny's. She held both of the girl's hands in her own and she lent up to press a light kiss to the girl's lips. "We'll go for a short walk, you can accompany me on my visit to Scotland Yard for the day."

"Vastra, I..."

"Jenny please. Just try, for me... for the baby. I don't want our child to grow up thinking it should be afraid of the world. I want him or her to be a brave little warrior. Please, my love." Vastra lent down and kissed Jenny's stomach as though she were attempting to kiss the baby itself. The woman lay her forehead against the swell of the girl's abdomen and Jenny finally gave in, moving a hand to caress the back of her love's neck. How much harm could going for a short walk do anyway?

~.~.~.~.~.~

Under normal circumstances Jenny would never have dreamed of touching Vastra in public but as they walked up the steps of Scotland Yard's base her nerves got the better of her and the girl discretely slipped her hand into that of the other woman. The act must have taken Vastra by surprise because just as they were about to reach the door she stopped for a moment and looked at the girl curiously before she allowed her grip to tighten on the delicate hand in her own. Jenny knew that it seemed hypocritical for her to be showing any sort of public affection to another woman considering that she was already terrified of what others would think of her for being pregnant out of wedlock but she just needed her love's support at that moment. They stepped through the door hand in hand and the instant it had swung shut behind them a young officer seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Ah, Madame Vastra, I believe the inspector's waitin' for you in 'is office..." his voice trailed off as he noticed Jenny by the veiled woman's side and he frowned slightly at the sight of her.

"Is something wrong?" Vastra's voice was sharp as she called the boy's attention back to her and even behind her veil her cool blue eyes fixed on the officer's face with one scaled eyebrow raised.

"No. No, o' course not ma'am. Jus', I don't think the inspector was expectin' you to 'ave company in your meetin'. Would you like me to inform 'im in advance so that..."

"I do not believe that will be necessary. I have discussed the matter of Jenny's assisting me with the inspector before, I thought it about time that he met her. That will not be a problem, will it?" Vastra's eyes remained locked on the officer as he shook his head, then she pushed past him brusquely, pulling Jenny with her as she headed down a side corridor and away from the young officer. As they rounded a corner the Silurian chuckled to herself softly and Jenny looked up at the woman by her side. "I shouldn't admit it," Vastra murmured, "but I do enjoy intimidating the younger ones when I get the chance. The stunned looks they give you are priceless, it's like going out hunting without actually having to kill anything."

Jenny smiled a little uncertainly and continued to allow Vastra to guide her through doors and down hallways until finally they reached a heavy looking dark wood door at the end of a passage. Vastra rapped three times on the door and, without waiting for a response, proceeded to allow herself entrance to the small office that the doorway led into. Sat at a desk in the back corner of the room a slightly balding man in a moderately nice suit looked up to ascertain the identity of his new arrivals and, on seeing Vastra, he placed the file which he had been studying down on his desk and stood, checking his pocket watch as he did so.

"Right on time as always Madame Vastra, I'm glad to see some things never change." Vastra inclined her head in acknowledgement of the inspector's greeting but his attentions had already been pulled away from the Silurian. His eyes wondered over to Jenny who was stood just behind Vastra and he couldn't help but frown as he noticed how the women's hands were locked together, albeit partially hidden by the skirts of their dresses. "I see you have brought a friend with you?"

"I suppose you could say that," Vastra turned her gaze on Jenny and squeezed her hand reassuringly as she spoke. She could sense how unsure the girl was about being there but she just wanted Jenny to see that she didn't have to hide away just because she may get judged. "This is Jenny," she continued, turning her attention back to the inspector, "the girl I mentioned who helped on that odd case where the victims were killed by a freezing of the heart."

"Ah, yes, Miss Flint isn't it?" The inspector held out his hand to her and Jenny hesitantly removed her hand from her mistress' in order to allow the inspector to make her acquaintance.

As she stepped forward and took hold of the man's hand Jenny was aware of how the inspector's eyes which had at first locked on their joined hands had wondered over to her stomach. That had been what she was dreading. She shook the man's hand as quickly as she could, attempting to avoid eye contact, before stepping back and immediately placing herself close by Vastra's side with her arms covering her belly. The girl could see in the inspector's eyes that he was already forming his own judgements about her. All she could do was prey that Vastra would distract him before he asked any questions.

"So..." The inspector was about to speak but, as she always did, Vastra found a way to cut him off.

"Down to business I think." Without being invited, the Silurian sat herself down in front of the desk and looked to the seat next to her as an indication for Jenny to do the same. As the girl took her seat the inspector made his way back around to the other side of his desk and pulled a stack of files towards him.

"There's only one case which we think will need your specialist attention today as far as I'm aware." he shuffled through the stack of files for a minute and eventually extracted a rather clean one with a scrawl of handwritten notes on the cover. Vastra extended her hand and the inspector passed the file to her, watching as the woman took a quick glance before handing the file to Jenny and turning her attention back to him. "We received a complaint late last night about the most monstrous metallic noises coming from a supposedly abandoned home in the East end of the city. The woman who came to us about it seemed to be convinced that there was something, shall we say peculiar, about it. I am aware of how well you handle the more abstract cases so we thought it best that we hand this one over to you for further investigation." Vastra nodded her understanding but, rather than responding, turned to Jenny who was busily scanning through the notes within the case file.

"What do you think my dear?" Jenny looked at the Silurian in shock for a moment. She hadn't expected the address to be quite so intimate in a public area and it took the girl a minute or two to realise that Vastra had actually asked her a question. Blinking a few times and refocusing her mind Jenny closed the file once more and caught Vastra's eyes in her own gaze.

"It does all sound a bit fishy. I think it'd be best to 'ave a look an' see what comes of it. Wouldn't want to leave anythin' dangerous goin' on near a place of 'abitation would we?" Vastra smiled at the girl's response. It was the first time Jenny had seemed herself since the pair had left the house and it was comforting to the Silurian to see her darling girl feeling more comfortable outside of their home.

"Well, if that is what you think best then we should..."

"Pardon me Madame Vastra, I know it's probably not my place to say but do you really think Miss Flint here should be assisting you with potentially dangerous cases in her... well," the inspector looked down at the papers on his desk a little awkwardly and paused for a moment, "in her condition?" Jenny tensed in her seat and she immediately lifted the file from her lap to cover her stomach. She had known leaving the house was a bad idea. If the inspector who Vastra worked for was already commenting on her pregnancy how long would it be before judgements of it started coming to light. She wanted to leave the room that second and never return but just as she was about to excuse herself Vastra's clear voice cut through the silence with a slight hint of indignation in each crisp note.

"You are right inspector, it is not your place to say." Jenny looked up at the other woman and was rather unsurprised to find that, even behind the veil, she could see how the inspector's comment had irritated Vastra. The girl had to focus to stop herself from smiling in gratitude and even lifted her hand to cover her mouth as the corners of her mouth twitched up slightly. "However," the Silurian continued, careful to keep her voice even, "I can assure you I would not place Jenny or the child in harm's way, she is currently only assisting me with the more informative stages of my investigations and will continue to do so until the child is born." The inspector regarded the veiled detective closely for a few moments; Jenny wondered what exactly it was that he was attempting to see. Most likely he was attempting to catch a glimpse of Vastra's expression to gauge her feelings on the matter but, finding that he couldn't see past the veil, the inspector simply nodded and muttered something inaudible to himself.

"Ma'am, we really must be gettin' back" Jenny hinted. She had sensed the break in conversation and taken her opportunity. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to just get back home and shut herself away before anyone else could comment on her pregnancy. The Silurian nodded and both women lifted themselves from their seats. As they were about to leave, however, the inspector coughed to pull the attention back to himself.

"I must say, Madame Vastra," he started and Vastra turned back to face him, "I never had you down as the sort to involve yourself in the workings of a rescue society."

"I beg your pardon?" The Silurian's head tilted to the side slightly as she observed the man before her. She had only heard small amounts about the rescue societies that some of the more upper class women had set up in order to save 'fallen women' from themselves but she knew enough to understand what the inspector was insinuating. How dare that ape make such suggestions about her Jenny? Yes, Vastra knew that Jenny had been forced to allow men to violate her in the past just so that she could eat but that did not give anyone the right to suggest that the girl was a whore!

"I... I'm sorry. I saw no ring on the girl's finger and she is working for you... I just assumed..."

"Well you should not make such assumptions!" Vastra had clenched her fists to stop herself from lashing out at the inspector. She could barely believe that anyone would make such an assumption. Her mind was spinning and she wanted to teach the man before her a lesson. More than anything she wanted to make him regret ever opening his mouth and letting those words pass his lips. It wasn't until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder that she remembered that Jenny was still there and that she was still desperate to just go home.

"Ma'am... please, let's just go."

"Miss Flint, I cannot apologise enough. Your mistress is right, I should not have assumed that you were..." The inspector stood from his desk and stepped towards the maid but Jenny held up a hand to silence him.

"Whatever it is you're plannin' to say inspector, I don't want to 'ear it. You see a pregnant girl without a ring on 'er finger who's not quite as well spoken as you an' you just assume she's a whore. I'll 'ave you know sir I am in an entirely committed relationship an' I could not be more in love with my baby's other parent. We just 'aven't married yet." The girl shook her head slowly, she wished that she didn't have to say any of this and that people would just keep their opinions to themselves. "I may not be what you an' the rest of the middle class consider a worthy parent or even a worthy 'uman bein' but with all due respect sir, I aint the one passin' judgement on people I know nothin' about." With that Jenny took hold of Vastra's hand and pulled the Silurian out of the inspector's office.

They had got half way home before Vastra finally found her voice once more. She had been so shocked by Jenny putting the inspector in his place that she had almost entirely lost the ability to speak but as they were walking past Hyde park she stopped Jenny and looked at her, her head tilted ever so slightly as she surveyed her darling girl's face. Jenny's cheeks were still a little flushed and her eyes had that sparkle in them that they only seemed to develop when the maid did something that would usually be against her nature. It was almost like her own form of rebellion.

"I am so proud of you" Vastra murmured. She had all but entirely forgotten where they were and as one of her hands strayed to the girl's hip Jenny gently smacked the Silurian's gloved fingers away. The two stared at each other for a moment before bursting into a subdued fit of giggles. Jenny knew that the judgement would only get worse as her pregnancy continued but it was comforting to both her and her love that she had found her voice and her capability to stand up for herself against those judgements.


	23. A Mysterious Case

It was late at night a few days after the meeting with the inspector from Scotland Yard when Vastra finally found herself in the East end of London heading for the address from the case file that she had acquired that day. She had ensured that her driver, Parker, waited for her at a safe distance from the location so as not to draw attention to herself and, incidentally, was forced to keep to the shadows as she crept along the dilapidated streets. Vastra had never liked the East end of London; it was the part of the city that housed the poorest of the poor and, although the Silurian tried not to discriminate, she had found in her line of work that those were the sorts of people who caused her the most difficulty during cases. She always had to remind herself that her Jenny had once called that part of London home and it was only that small fact that made Vastra consider that perhaps the place was not all that it appeared to be - after all, Jenny was living proof that not all hope was lost on its inhabitants.

Realistically Vastra had wanted to head for the location as soon as she could after receiving the case to ensure that any unsavoury goings on were halted before they became too much of an issue but Jenny had had other ideas. As Vastra had prepared herself to leave to investigate the day after the meeting the maid had been hanging around her and begging with her not to rush into anything. The Silurian didn't understand why Jenny would make such a fuss. It wasn't as if she had never immediately involved herself in a case before and, from what she had read of the notes, there didn't seem to be too much of a threat evident at all. Despite the facts, however, the maid was insistent that Vastra should wait. _"I just 'ave a bad feelin' about it"_ she had said. Vastra didn't know what to make of that. She had learned in the time that she and Jenny had been together that more often than not the girl's instincts were correct, but how could she have a bad feeling about something that they both knew very little about? Even so, the Silurian had waited for a few days and gone over the case notes in detail to put Jenny's mind at ease. The last thing she needed was for the girl to worry too much, it could place a strain on the baby and that was the last thing that she wanted.

As Vastra turned another corner she stopped in her tracks, her senses heightened as she stood frozen to the spot. She knew immediately that she had almost reached her destination. The night was still and at first seemingly silent but as she listened she could just make out the faint sounds of machinery working away not far from where she stood. Metal clanked and creaked and every now and then a screeching noise filled the air around her. Whatever it was that was making the noises Vastra was almost certain that it was not supposed to sound as it did.

Pulling herself from her musings the Silurian quickened her pace, hastening down the street until she finally stopped outside the house from which the metallic noises were ensuing. From the outside it appeared to be no different from any other dwelling on the street. Some of the windows were boarded up and the front door looked as though it had been worn down by the unforgiving English weather for decades. The brickwork was grimy from the pollution in the air (a result of the reform in industry that had begun towards the end of the last century) and bar the racket coming from within the house almost seemed to be deserted. The noises, however, had grown louder as Vastra grew closer to the source and, stood directly outside, the unhealthy clanging and screeching sent a shiver down her spine.

"Oi! Who the 'ell are you? An' what you doin' over there?" Vastra span to find the source of the brash voice that had called to her and her eyes fell on a plump and rather ragged looking woman leaning out from a window on the opposite side of the road. She wondered why anyone would be awake at this time, let alone looking out into the street, but from the looks of the woman's bulging chest and the red lipstick painted on her thin mouth Vastra was almost certain that the woman was the sort who spent her nights awake and on the job while her days were frittered away in the land of dreams.

The Silurian hissed to herself in displeasure. Granted, she had not been hidden from view but until that point she had hoped that whoever resided in the seemingly abandoned residence would not have cottoned onto her presence. This woman, however, had most likely just alerted the residents to the fact that there was someone keeping a close eye on them with her ridiculous need to know about the goings on in the street. Seeing as her cover was blown Vastra thought it best that she remove herself from sight as quickly as possible and so she readjusted her veil and rushed over to the other side of the street. She pointed to the front door of the woman's home and, as the woman realised what the veiled figure was suggesting, she disappeared from her window, presumably to allow the Silurian access to her home. Vastra could only hope that the woman would be of some use. She may have ruined the original plan of a discrete approach to investigating but with the house in such close proximity to the source of unrest in the street perhaps Vastra could get some sort of information from the woman that would assist in her investigations.

There was a bump behind the door the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, then the rickety wooden door swung open to reveal a cluttered and filthy entrance hall. Trying to ignore the disgusted feeling building in the pit of her stomach Vastra lifted her skirts so as not to soil them on the dirty ground and slid in through the door which the woman closed abruptly behind her. If it was a whore house that she had just entered Vastra was certain that it was not one of the higher class ones. From the appearance of the woman who had called to her and then the sight of the hallway the Silurian could only assume that this was the sort of place that the cheapest of men would visit.

"Well? You aint answered my questions yet." The plump woman turned from the door which she had just shut and locked and she faced Vastra straight on. She was even more repugnant to regard up close. The tattered old corset that she wore was barely holding together over she swelling of her body and there was a vile odour coming from somewhere on her person that Vastra couldn't quite place. The woman's ratty, dark hair was piled on top of her head in what Vastra assumed was an attempt to mimic the fashionable hairstyles that the upper class ladies donned in their walks through parks or days spent browsing the stock of local shops, and while the woman had clearly made an attempt at doing her makeup in a fashionable sense it was still very clear how ugly and blemished her skin was. Vastra was glad for the veil shielding her face as she studied the woman before her. She was entirely aware that the expression on her face would have been considered offensive but she could scarce believe that it was possible for a woman who clearly worked in the trade of pleasuring men got any business at all looking as she did.

"I am a detective sent by Scotland Yard to investigate the inhabitants of house opposite your own." Vastra was aware of how simple her explanation sounded but she was determined not to share too many details with the woman before her. From the stories Jenny had told her about East end whores they could not be trusted with anything unless money was involved.

"Yeah, but who are you?" The woman didn't seem to be happy about the lack of description in Vastra's response. Her chubby arms were crossed tightly over her chest and beady black eyes were attempting to see through the veil that obscured the Silurian's face.

"My name is of no consequence. All you need to know is that I am here on official business. Now, if you would be so..."

"Why do you wear that thing? I aint never met a detective who 'id their face yet, so why do you?" Clearly the task of questioning the woman was not going to be as simple as Vastra had first hoped it would. Repellent as she was, she didn't miss much when it came to observations and she did not seem at all shy about asking the questions that she wanted to know the answers to. Usually people with those traits were the least likely to give a straight answer - just Vastra's luck.

"Again, that information is of no consequence. Now, please, if you could..."

"It's o' consequence to me." Vastra was beginning to lose her patience with the woman. She couldn't help but wonder how someone of the same class that Jenny had once been (and presumably with a similar upbringing) could possibly be so different to the girl that at that moment was curled up by the fire in the house on Paternoster Row, knitting little outfits for the hybrid child that was growing inside of her. This woman was far more demanding than Jenny and far more harsh in her demands. Vastra knew how to handle her of course, she had to be willing to share limited knowledge with her, but that did not mean that the Silurian felt the woman could be trusted with the knowledge she would share.

"If you must know, I have a skin condition."

"Show me." Vastra was shocked. She was not prepared to lift her veil, that would be too much, but she would remove a glove. Slowly she edged the silken material off over her fingers and pulled the glove free from her hand. She held her hand out to the woman who peered at it closely in the half light of the candle-lit hall. The woman gasped and took a step back. "Bloody 'ell, an' I thought my skin were bad."

"Now, if that has quite sated your curiosity, may I ask you some questions concerning the house across the road, Miss...?"

"Caroline. Jus' Caroline. An' you can ask but I aint promisin' no answers." The Silurian sighed. It was becoming apparent to her that there was only one way to make Caroline cooperate with her. She pulled a handful of coins from a pocket hidden amongst her skirts and held them out to the woman before her. Caroline's eyes lit up. She immediately snatched the coins from the Silurian's outstretched palm and smirked. "You go ahead an' ask your questions then ma'am, wha'ever you wanna know."

"Good. So, have you encountered the individual who inhabits the residence?" The Silurian slipped her glove back onto her hand as Caroline frowned and Vastra couldn't suppress the feeling that perhaps this woman would not be as helpful as she had hoped. "Have you met the person who lives there Caroline?"

"Oh. I aint met 'im, no, but I 'ave seen 'im. 'e's a shifty lookin' bloke an' all. Only comes out at night an' 'e always walks all 'unched over like 'e's deformed." The woman wrinkled her pig like nose and Vastra sensed that the idea of a deformed being disgusted her. It made her wonder what Caroline must have thought at the sight of her hand and the scales that made up her skin. Of course, she didn't really care what the other woman thought of her, but she still found herself wondering none the less. Still, pushing her curiosities to the back of her mind she refocused her thoughts on the house and the metallic noises from within.

"Is this man the only individual you have seen leaving or entering the property?"

"Yes."

"And the noises? Do you have any idea what might be causing them?" Caroline didn't respond. An ugly frown creased her forehead and she crossed her arms over her chest more tightly as though to protect herself.

"I don't know, but wha'ever it is it keeps scarin' away my customers. I aint got anyone back 'ere in days, as soon as they 'ear it they scarper." Vastra wasn't entirely convinced that it was only the noises that were scaring away the customers but in any case that was not what she was there to investigate.

"Last question, are the noises constant? Do they ever stop or pause?"

"They normally stop an' restart on an' off all o' the time. It's like someone's tryin' to fix somethin'. If that's what it is though, it don't sound like they're 'avin' much luck." Vastra nodded. She had already come to a similar conclusion herself but it was comforting to know that someone else had had the same idea.

"Well, thank you Caroline." The woman turned back to the door and, with a fair bit of effort, yanked it open to the heightened sound of whirring, clanking and screeching metal in the house across the street. Vastra headed to the door, still holding her skirts up to keep them from getting grubby, but she stopped before she had crossed the threshold. She turned back to face the other woman and added, "oh, and next time, perhaps you should be a little more careful when trying to get the attention of somebody in the vicinity of a suspicious property. I could have been anyone, but you allowed me access to your home as though you had known me for years. That is how women get themselves killed you know - I've seen it happen."

"I 'ate to break it to you miss, but not all o' us 'as a lot to live for. Sometimes you jus' take the risk."

~.~.~.~.~.~

Back out in the open air of the night Vastra crossed the road and once more took to the shadows in the hope that this time she would be able to avoid detection. She checked the pocket watch that she had become accustomed to keeping on her person at all times. It was getting late. The detour into Caroline's whore house had been more time consuming than the Silurian had imagined and she knew that she would not have time to take any action against whatever threat lay behind the doors of the other house that night. Still, it would not stop her from continuing her investigations. Vastra backed herself up to the wall of the house and pressed herself tightly against the brickwork so that she became one with the shadows. Even through the bricks she could feel vibrations coming from within. Something was definitely going on behind the closed doors and boarded windows.

All of the downstairs windows were entirely boarded up, much to Vastra's dismay, but she could see that one of the first floor windows was not. The glass of the window had been smashed in and she was willing to bet that it had been that window through which the mysterious male resident of the house had initially found his way inside the property. The question was, what was he doing in there? Vastra knew that there was only one way to find out. She had to get through that window.

Looking down at herself the Silurian growled. While the fashion of a Victorian lady was rather elegant it really had become problematic for Vastra in her line of work. Proper investigation seemed to be entirely impossible in such restricting outfits and, although she knew she had no choice but to conform to the particulars of the time period in which she lived, Vastra wished that it would be considered acceptable for her to wear something a little less flowing and shaped if only to allow her the ability to move freely. Unfortunately, it was not, and so as she removed her gloves to allow herself a better grip the Silurian turned to face the front wall of the house and slowly she began to scale the wall up to the smashed window. It had been a long time since she had been presented with the opportunity to do something which was once so natural to her and at first the lack of practice along with her restricting attire made it very difficult for Vastra to keep her grip. Once or twice her hands almost slipped but eventually she made it safely to the window on the first floor and slid through the shattered opening with as much ease as she could manage considering her restrictions.

Standing from the spot where she had landed Vastra allowed her eyes to wonder around the darkened room. She was surprised to find that there was not a single thing in sight. Honestly she wasn't sure what she had been expecting. From the sounds she heard out in the street the Silurian had assumed that every room in the house would have been home to at least one mechanical contraption but as far as she could see there was absolutely nothing of the sort anywhere in her line of vision; in fact, there was nothing at all to be seen bar a small wooden crate in the far corner that sat alone and abandoned. Whatever it was that was causing the unrest it was somewhere else in the house and, if Vastra's senses were right, it was coming from somewhere below her.

She was hesitant in her approach of the door but once she had ascertained that the inhabitant of the house was nowhere in sight Vastra slipped out onto the landing area and ducked down next to the banister, peering through the bars to get a good look at the lower levels of the house. The sight that met her, while shocking, was far closer to the image she had expected to see on first entering the house. In the centre of the downstairs room was a great greyish-brown contraption that took up almost the entire room. It appeared to be advanced technology and yet it looked incredibly old, as though it had been hidden away for centuries without the proper maintenance or care to keep it in working order. Patches of rust were spread over almost every surface of the machine and Vastra could finally see why it kept making such unhealthy sounds - the thing didn't appear to be in any sort of condition to be working at all. The small area of floor that surrounded the machine was a mess. There was dust and shards of metal almost everywhere and Vastra wondered how one man could make such a mess. It wasn't until her eyes caught sight of something odd just by the foot of the machine however that it finally made sense to the Silurian what was going on in that house. The light of the candles around the room reflected off of the object and it was the glare that initially drew Vastra's attention to it. For a moment she could not make it out but after staring at the object for a few minutes she immediately shuffled away from the banister at the edge of the stairs.

"It can't be..." she muttered to herself in shock. She had to get out of there and she knew it. A sword would be no good against them. No. Vastra needed the Doctor's help, he was the only one who could counter these particular creatures without a seriously advanced weapon. "Cybermen."


	24. An Unreliable Doctor

It wasn't until she found herself back home and slumped on the ground in the entrance hall that Vastra realised just how fast she had run to get back to safety. She had never been so exhausted in her life and as she breathed deeply, trying to take in all the air she could, all she could think of was what she had seen in that house. The object on the floor had been an arm. A disembodied metal arm. There was only one creature in the universe that it could have belonged to and even considering the possibility that they were there in London made the Silurian feel sick with fear. She could face any other creature on her own, her trusted katana could take down any other beast she had ever met, but not the Cybermen.

The house was dark and quiet and for a moment Vastra panicked - where was Jenny? In a split second she had pulled herself back up from the floor and rushed through the ground floor of the house checking the rooms over as thoroughly as she could, but there was no sign of the girl anywhere. Surely Jenny wouldn't have gone to bed without her, she never did that. It wasn't until Vastra hurried into the sitting room that she found what she was looking for. Although the fire in the room was dwindling there was just enough light for her to make out the form of her love lying on the sofa, fast asleep. Jenny was curled up like a little kitten with her knitting in one hand and the other resting gently on her stomach. The girl's nightdress covered most of her up but she also had a blanket draped over herself in a careless fashion for extra warmth and the ball of wool that she had been using to knit had taken the place of a pillow in the absence of anything else. As Vastra's eyes came to rest on her sweet little human she felt her racing heart begin to ease slightly and a small smile etched itself onto her face. All of the fear she had been feeling seemed to melt away momentarily and the only thing that Vastra felt was an unending adoration for Jenny. Through all of the troubles life could throw at her it warmed Vastra's heart to think that she still had her one safe place in the world, right there in the house on Paternoster Row with her darling Jenny and their unborn baby.

Careful not to make too much noise and wake the sleeping girl Vastra glided over to the sofa where Jenny lay and slid the knitting and ball of wool from her grasp. Jenny stirred slightly as her substitute pillow was removed from below her head but she did not wake. Then, as gently as she could, Vastra lifted Jenny into her arms like a small child. She hadn't realised how much difference the baby had made to the girl's weight but it took the Silurian a moment or so to adjust to the difference. She had expected Jenny to be a lot lighter but apparently babies weighed more than she had imagined. As Vastra stood still trying to adjust to the unexpected weight in her arms the girl shifted slightly and tucked her head into her love's shoulder. It was as though she had sensed Vastra's closeness and was attempting to get closer to her. The Silurian smiled at the thought and once she felt balanced enough she carried the girl up to their bedroom and tucked her into bed before changing and climbing into her own side of the bed.

Although Jenny's presence had distracted Vastra from her thoughts concerning the case she knew that the blissful state of peace that the girl had created would not last. Lying in the dark with Jenny still sleeping peacefully by her side the image of the metal arm from before re-materialised in her mind and all of a sudden Vastra felt tense and afraid again. Instinctively she shuffled closer to Jenny's warm little body and found a way to wriggle herself into the girl's arms so that she could bury her face in her chest and smell the comforting scent of Jenny's skin.

Jenny could feel Vastra's breath against her skin through the thin fabric of her night dress and her eyes flicked open instantly. Something was wrong, she could feel it. Vastra was so close to her. Of course they cuddled during the night a lot but never like that. It was as though the other woman feared letting go of her. Cool, scaled arms were wrapped securely around Jenny's waist and Vastra's face was pressed against her chest. What had happened? It was all Jenny could think. It took her a few moments to free herself from the haze that sleep had left on her mind but as the fogginess started to clear away she shifted slightly, getting Vastra's attention, and looked down at her with a concerned expression on her face.

"Vastra? Is everythin' okay?" The girl's brow was creased with worry and she cupped the Silurian's cheek gently in one of her hands. Looking into the other woman's eyes Jenny could see that she was right, there was something wrong. In all of the time that the pair had been together Jenny had never seen Vastra look so afraid. The sparkle in her eyes seemed to have vanished and, although they still held that striking shade of blue, there was something empty and distant about them. Vastra attempted to nod her head but Jenny just looked at her more sternly. She wasn't going to let the Silurian lie to her like that. She understood that Vastra was most likely only trying to protect her and that she didn't want her to worry, and under normal circumstances Jenny would have just let the matter drop until morning, but in that moment she just couldn't do it. Not when Vastra looked so terrified. Madame Vastra didn't get scared. Nothing scared her. So if she really was as scared as she looked then Jenny knew that she had to know what it was. "Darlin', what's 'appened?"

Vastra's eyes scanned her darling girl's face and she realised that there was no getting around the conversation. Jenny was stubborn when she wanted to be, and from the look in her eyes there was no way she was going to let Vastra even attempt to sleep until she had told her all about what had happened while she was out.

"The case... I know what the cause of those noises are..."

"And...?" Vastra shook her head again. She didn't want Jenny to worry. She just wanted them both to go to sleep so that she wouldn't have to think about it any longer. Every moment that she was awake the Silurian's mind was flashing back to previous encounters with the Cybermen. Back in her time she could have handled them, they had had guns and other weapons that could take legions out in a matter of seconds, but not anymore. In her technologically inferior present it was just Vastra and her swords stood in protection of the human race. She couldn't handle these creatures alone. "Vastra?"

"I need the Doctor's help. Jenny these creatures would kill me in an instant if I tried to face them alone." The colour seemed to drain from Jenny's face at the thought and Vastra immediately hated herself for saying anything. She knew Jenny would worry. She knew that she was better off not telling her anything. But the girl wouldn't have let her. "When did the Doctor say that he would be back?"

"I don't know. 'e said a week or so but it's been longer than that already. If Doctor Rackham's right about my dates then I'm nearer five months than four into this pregnancy an' when the Doctor was 'ere last 'e said I was around two months in." The girl frowned and Vastra felt her stomach tying itself in knots. The last thing she needed with Cybermen on the loose was for that man and his time machine being unreliable with their visits. She would have to find a way to contact him. Something. Anything that would get his attention. The only thing she could think of was to go on an ape hunt like she had when she was young but she had a feeling that that particular solution was prompted more by her fears than a serious idea that she thought should be considered. "Vastra, what is it that you can't 'andle without 'im? I've never known you to be like this about any case... should I be worried?" Vastra looked up into Jenny's eyes. If her darling girl started to worry then the Silurian didn't know what she would do. Jenny was her safe place. She was the only thing keeping her level-headed until she could get hold of the Doctor. She needed her to stay positive, no matter what.

"I do not want you to worry Jenny. I know it is not often that I find something that I cannot face alone but even I am not invincible my love, no matter how much I may like to pretend that I am."

"But what did you see in there? Why are you so scared?" Jenny couldn't let it go. She needed Vastra and if there was even the smallest chance that the case and whatever it involved could take the Silurian from her then Jenny wanted to know about it. She could feel Vastra's hands gripping onto her tightly and her heart ached with worry. She didn't know how much longer she could stand to see the woman like that, so terrified an insecure. "Please love, I just need..."

"Cybermen." A frown etched itself on Jenny's face. "They are not a race as such - well, they are in a way. They are created from the brains of human beings placed into metallic exoskeletons. All emotion is removed. Anything that would make the robots act as human beings is cut away until they can only think in terms of expansion. "

"Robots. You saw metal men in there?"

"Not exactly. I saw the machine that creates them, and a disembodied arm."

"So, you don't know for sure?" Jenny was having a hard time taking it all in. Human brains inside metal suits with no emotion or humanity. A machine that just chopped out people's brains and turned them into those things. Surely Vastra was wrong, she had to be.

"I wish I could say I did not. Jenny, our methods of combat would be useless against just one and I have no idea how many there may be. I need the Doctor. I will not risk those things taking over this world and I certainly will not risk them taking you from me." Jenny realised in that moment what it really was that was scaring Vastra. It wasn't just that she couldn't fight the threat they now faced alone (although that didn't help matters at all), what she was really scared of was the consequences that came along with her inability to stop whatever it was the Cybermen were up to. If she couldn't fight them then they would take over the planet, and they would turn every human into one of them - every human including Jenny. With no idea how else to comfort the Silurian Jenny simply pulled her as close as she could and kissed her deeply. All of the tension in Vastra's body seemed to melt away and as she pulled away from her darling girl she took a deep breath in an attempt to keep her composure.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to get 'im 'ere," Jenny murmured, "after all, I don't know anyone else who knows 'im as well as you do. It's just a shame you can't send 'im messages using your mind, now that really would be 'elpful."

"Wait," Vastra released her grip on Jenny and sat up abruptly, her eyes wide in realisation, "what did you just say?" Jenny raised an eyebrow and looked up at the woman sat above her. She didn't think she'd said anything - not anything that would have been of any use anyway. Vastra looked down at the girl again and, realising that Jenny had no idea what she meant she laughed. "Psychic paper."

"What?"

"Psychic paper. I don't know why I didn't think of it before." A smile spread across Vastra's face and she leaned down and kissed Jenny again. "Oh you wonderful, beautiful girl! Whatever would I do without you?" Again she pulled Jenny to her lips and the girl giggled into the kiss.

"Well," she laughed as she finally managed to pull away from the Silurian, "I don't know what I said but I sure as 'ell am glad that I said it." Jenny felt herself relax more as she looked back into Vastra's eyes and noticed how the sparkle was beginning to creep back into them. It was amazing how just the slightest sign of hope could make such a drastic improvement in the woman's mood but it was also so comforting to Jenny. She hated seeing her Vastra so down, it was like a dagger through her heart whenever anything upset the woman even in the slightest. Jenny never wanted to see her like that again. Pain in the woman's eyes was difficult to see but the fear that had been there before had almost broken Jenny's heart. "Now, my love, I think we both need to get some sleep, don't you." The girl pulled Vastra back down to lie next to her and she snuggled herself into the other woman's body.

"I am so lucky to have you" Vastra whispered. She pressed a kiss to the top of Jenny's head and held her body as close as she could. She would be thankful when the Doctor was there and she could get the case well and truly completed, but until that time came she was content to remain just where she was, curled up with her darling human girl, both safe and warm together.


	25. A Tainted Victory

**Note: **Hello my darlings, once again I must apologise for my rubbish attempts to update more frequently. My only excuse is that I have a new job and for the past few days I've either been too busy or too exhausted to really get into writing this new chapter. I will try not to take so long in future (I know I keep promising that but I do really mean it). Also, I just want to point out that writing all of this taking over the planet / conflict stuff really isn't my forte so I have tried my best but I'm sorry if it's not up to people's standards. I do try to avoid stuff like this because I know I'm not so great at it but this one is necessary to the plot (eventually) so I kind of had no choice. Even so, I hope you enjoy and as always I look forward to your lovely reviews which never fail to make me smile.

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

~.~.~.~.~.~

"Where the 'ell 'ave you been?!" Jenny was not happy. It had been another two weeks since Vastra had attempted to contact the Doctor using his psychic paper and he had only just decided to show his face.

"Oh, here and there, as always. I came as soon as I got Vastra's message."

"She sent that two weeks ago!" The girl slammed her hands down on the table as she stood up and she glared into the eyes of the man sat opposite her. Jenny was furious. More than furious. Vastra's hopes of stopping the Cybermen had been gradually dwindling as the first week waiting for the Doctor had passed and by the second week the woman had all but spiralled back into the original state of fear that she had found herself in on first discovering the identity of the creatures intent on causing problems around London. She had barely let Jenny leave her side for fear of anything bad happening and it had almost killed Jenny to witness it. She had been so relieved when Vastra had got her vigour back after finding a way to contact the Doctor, but of course he had just had to ruin it. He just had to be late and leave them to deal with the Cybermen alone. Honestly Jenny sometimes wondered why they even bothered asking for his help if he didn't show up when he was supposed to. She clenched her teeth in annoyance but just as she was about to begin yelling again she felt Vastra's hand slide over her own from her left side. The woman looked up to her from the seat by her side and shook her head.

"Jenny, it is not his fault, you know that. Please love, sit down and breathe, you should not be getting yourself worked up like this." The Silurian squeezed her darling girl's hand gently and Jenny forced herself to sit back down. She was still angry, and a large part of her still wanted to rip the Doctor limb from limb for leaving them for so long, but Vastra was right, she was risking the baby by getting herself worked up.

The Doctor looked between the two women a little sheepishly. He really did need to figure out a way to make his timings more accurate. He didn't mean to be late but he kept missing the points in time that he was aiming for and it kept getting him into trouble. If he carried on letting people down someone was going to lose it with him big time and somehow he had a feeling that it might be Jenny who would take the first swing.

"Look, I know I'm late and I'm sorry, but I'm here now so are you going to tell me what's going on?" The Doctor focused his attention on Vastra. It felt safer for him to avoid Jenny's eye - he knew that she hadn't forgiven him even if she had given up on her fierce tirade. The Silurian's eye line dropped and she took a few deep breaths. She was still terrified of what was going to happen; even with the Doctor there there was no guarantee that they could stop whatever it was that the Cybermen were doing. Still, they had more hope than she had initially thought.

In the time that they had been waiting for the Doctor to show up Vastra and Jenny had not just sat around killing time. They had been investigating. While Jenny had stayed at home and gone through endless notes and case files concerning the Cybermen and the twenty odd disappearances that had begun just after the night that Vastra had visited the East end house that seemed to have become a sort of headquarters for the creatures, Vastra had been back to that house. The Silurian had been watching out for the Cybermen almost all day every day and not once had she seen a single one outside of its walls; she had, however, seen the man that Caroline had told her about. The woman had been right, he was a rather sinister looking ape. The man's shoulders were hunched, he always kept his face hidden and there was a lopsidedness in his step but there was more to it than that. Whenever Vastra had seen him there had been a feeling of foreboding in the air, something that screamed that this man was more than influential in the presence of the Cybermen in London - she just had to figure out how.

"There are Cybermen in the city." The Doctor frowned as he watched the Silurian's worried expression and, forgetting that Jenny was still upset with him he turned to look at her for confirmation of what Vastra had said. The girl's expression, while still angry, seemed to be less cold as he examined it. At the mention of the Cybermen she had moved her other hand so that she was holding onto Vastra's with both of her own and she seemed to have become far more protective of the other woman than the Doctor had ever seen.

"How? How can they be here? Technology isn't advanced enough to..."

"We 'aven't managed to figure out exactly 'ow just yet, but we think it's got somethin' to do with the man who's 'elpin' 'em." The Doctor raised an eyebrow in surprise. From the way Jenny had been speaking to him before he had been expecting that she would object to his helping them at all but to his great surprise she seemed to be cooperating fairly well, if a little sharply. "Vastra's seen 'im a few times. 'e don't seem to speak to anyone 'uman an' 'e only comes out at night, the same sort of time people 'ave started disappearin'. My guess is that 'e's 'opin' to get somethin' from 'elpin' 'em."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why would you think that?" Jenny frowned but the Doctor seemed to be serious. He kept watching her pointedly, waiting for a response until eventually she shrugged. "Oh, come on Jenny, think! A withdrawn human male who refuses to be seen in daylight and is helping a group of robot men, all the same, all without emotion. Why would you think he expects to get something from them?" Jenny looked at Vastra momentarily but the Silurian seemed to be deep in thought herself. Looking back to the Doctor again she sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know. I just sort of assumed, there's no other reason why a man would 'elp creatures like that. If 'e were any other man 'e'd be afraid of 'em, but 'e's not."

"And why's that?"

"Because 'e's an outcast anyway an'..." Her voice trailed off and a sparkle glinted in her eyes. She understood what the Doctor was trying to get at. Of course, all of the times that Vastra had talked about the strange man to her they had been missing the point entirely. He wasn't just helping out aliens for no apparent reason - in fact the reason was entirely clear. "Robots are all the same." Vastra's eyes flicked up to Jenny curiously as she began to understand the matter herself.

"Of course. Why did we not see it before? When Caroline first described him to me she said that he was deformed, but what better way to get past the issue that makes society see him as an outcast than by forming a race of beings who are all entirely identical." The Silurian had begun to smile ever so slightly and she lifted her gaze to catch the Doctor's.

"Exactly!" The grin on the Doctor's face was unnervingly bright. Vastra almost seemed impressed by the reasoning behind the human man's assistance of the Cybermen but Jenny still wasn't happy. So the Doctor had helped them figure out one thing, it still didn't get them any closer to stopping whatever it was that was going on.

"You make it sound like 'e's a bleedin' genius. Are you both forgettin' that if 'e's plannin to turn the entire planet into robots, it aint a good thing?! We need to figure out 'ow to stop 'im, not sit 'ere actin' like 'e's some 'ighly commendable scientist who's figured out the key to global peace."

"No, Jenny listen, I know it doesn't sound like much but if we know why he's helping the Cybermen then we can figure out what they're actually doing and how to stop them." The Doctor jumped up from his seat and span around once as he talked, throwing his arms about as though he had entirely lost control of them. For the first time it struck Jenny how awkward he looked and she wondered how anyone who seemed to have so little control over himself could possibly be known for saving the human race over and over again. All she could think was that maybe it had just been something he had told Vastra to make her trust him when they had first met. Even so, whether she wanted to trust him or not she still knew she had to, he was their only hope. "So, Vastra, how many are there?" The Silurian shook her head slowly.

"We do not know. I have never seen one outside of the house. There could be hundreds all over the city or there could just be one or two."

"Well then, let's hope for just one of two." The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and started playing with the settings. Both Vastra and Jenny were wondering what he was doing. As though he had read their minds he looked up from his fiddling with buttons on the object for a moment. "I'm changing the settings to scan for electrical activity. You're lucky that they chose here of all places, not much electrical development. Well, not advanced enough to be picked up on the scans anyway. I really should look into changing that, might need it someday. Vastra, what was that you said about a house?"

"There is a house which they are using. I found the machine there, the one they use to..." The Silurian cringed at the thought of it. Before she had found that machine there had been no one reported missing but then things changed. She was sure that the machine would have been used already. Those twenty people who had gone missing would be dead and their brains would be powering the bodies of Cybermen. Gathering herself again she forced the words out of her mouth, "the one they use to create the new Cybermen."

"Is that where you think they all are?"

"There were none there when I first found my way into the house, but that may have changed. The disappearances that we mentioned have happened since then, twenty or so of them. I believe there may not be more than thirty Cybermen in total if there were only few to begin with but still it would be foolish to assume that a battle against their sort would be a simple victory." The Doctor shook his head as he continued to fiddle with his sonic screwdriver and he began to mutter about his aversion to any form of battle. Vastra pretended not to hear him. She knew that he didn't like to call what he did fighting but it was more than clear to anyone who knew him that, despite his tendency to attempt a peaceful end to conflict, someone always had to die before peace could resume.

"So, this house, can you two take me there? I want to have a little chat with our metal friends to find out exactly what it is that's going on." Jenny opened her mouth to speak but Vastra got there first. The maid knew what she was going to say before she said it and she was already trying to think of any way she could to get Vastra to allow her to accompany them.

"I will take you, Jenny must stay here."

"Why?" The Doctor genuinely didn't seem to understand. He grinned a little to himself as he added, "have you been a naughty girl Jenny? Is she punishing you?" Neither of the women played up to it. They both knew he was attempting to be funny but the conflict over Jenny's involvement in the case had been a tense topic between them since Vastra had found the Cybermen and it was something that they avoided discussing when at all possible.

"Vastra's 'ad me 'idden away in 'ere for weeks, ever since she went to that 'ouse for the first time. She won't let me come with you no matter 'ow many times I try to tell 'er that I would be absolutely fine." The girl 's voice was bitter and she scowled with her arms folded over her chest. Jenny hated being in the house all of the time. She was like a caged animal and despite the fair size of their home she felt as though she was suffocating from Vastra's constant need to keep her in the home that she considered their safe place. Jenny knew that the Silurian only did it because she cared, of course, but still she couldn't suppress her longing to get away and just walk through the streets of London to clear her head. The confinement was all getting a bit much.

"I am only trying to protect you my love." Vastra's voice was laced with fear as she regarded Jenny but still she pretended as though she was not as afraid as she was. "If anything were to happen to you or the baby..."

"But it won't! Why can't you just believe me when I tell you that?"

"You cannot know that Jenny."

"Yes, I can. I know you wouldn't let anythin' 'appen to us."

"Precisely the reason that you will be staying here." The Silurian's words were so firm that Jenny knew there was no point in arguing. Tears had sprung up in the girl's eyes and she slowly lifted herself from her seat. She couldn't just sit there and continue to argue about the matter. She didn't want to argue at all. All Jenny wanted was a bit of time outside of the house, but she knew Vastra would never willingly let her go until the Cybermen were gone or destroyed. Gently she pulled her hands from Vastra's grip and walked out of the room, refusing to turn back no matter how many times her love called her name.

For a short while the Doctor and Vastra sat in complete silence. Neither knew what to say or when would be the appropriate time to speak. It seemed that an age passed before the Doctor finally decided that the lack of conversation had gone on for long enough.

"Well, that went well." Vastra ignored him. She had no desire to discuss the intricacies of her relationship with Jenny with him and so she merely wrinkled her nose at his statement. As far as she was concerned Jenny was safe. She would have gone up to their room and locked herself in, nothing could get to her there. With that thought in mind Vastra turned to the Doctor in the hope of changing the subject of conversation.

"Shall we go?"

"Don't you think you should...?" The Doctor jerked his head towards the door that Jenny had just left through but Vastra simply sighed.

"I can grovel for forgiveness later old friend, for now we must focus on the issue at hand. I want those Cybermen gone. I will be able to give her the freedom that I know she wants once they are no longer a threat to this world."

~.~.~.~.~.~

The sonic screwdriver buzzed in the Doctor's hand as he held it up to the house before them and he nodded his head resignedly. A part of him had hoped that the machine that Vastra had seen had not been used. Somewhere deep in his mind he had even been hoping that some insane Victorian had simply built a machine of sorts that Vastra had mistaken for a convertor, but he had known that it was wishful thinking. For starters, there was no way that Vastra would be so easily fooled, she was far too intelligent for that; and besides, he was never so lucky for suspicious activity to turn out as something entirely innocent.

"They're in there alright," he muttered, fiddling with the settings once more and again pressing the button so that the screwdriver began to buzz once more, "only about three of them I'd say, and the machine of course."

"How do you propose we should act?" Vastra had decided to don her old battle suit for their investigations that night. She had learned from her first visit that Victorian attire was not suited to scaling the wall of a house and, as she had had no knowledge of what the Doctor had planned she thought it best that she dressed for battle. She had even brought her swords, although she was almost certain that they would be of little or no use to her.

"Well, from what you've told me, there's only one way in from out here and I can't see myself scaling that wall, can you?" Of course she couldn't. The Doctor would have been foolish to even try without first learning the proper technique and growing a set of claws. However, Vastra kept quiet, not feeling that it was the appropriate time to throw around sarcastic comments such as the ones forming in her mind. "We'll have to take the TARDIS in there."

As they stepped out of the TARDIS Vastra immediately sensed that there was something different about the house. It had not felt as it did the last time she had entered inside its walls and yet the feeling was somewhat familiar. Carefully she slid along the wall and passed the room which she had entered through the last time with the Doctor following close behind her. Nothing seemed to have changed physically and yet the Silurian could still sense a great difference in the air. It wasn't until they had reached the top of the stairs and Vastra had crouched down in the place she had hidden the last time that the feeling really made sense to her. Through the bars of the stairs they could see the figure of a deformed man balanced on a rickety stool by the side of the converter. The same sickening foreboding that Vastra always felt when he was near was coursing through her and she wanted nothing more than to get away from him, but still she stayed put.

At the bottom of the stairs stood a Cyberman, tall and solid, with its back facing the stairs and its eyes fixed on the boarded up front door. The other two that the Doctor had picked up on his scan didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. Their absence unnerved Vastra a bit, it made her wonder what they were doing if they were not standing guard over the machine and their human helper.

"What do we do now?" Her words were so soft that the slight hissing that came as a natural indication of her heritage slurred them slightly and the Doctor had to listen carefully to understand what the Silurian was saying.

"Well, that depends" he replied, pointing his sonic screwdriver back at the TARDIS and triggering the shielding mechanism to hide it from view. He didn't want to risk it being found too easily. In a perfect world he would have avoided putting his TARDIS in this situation at all (too much chance of it falling into the wrong hands) but as he had had no other choice he could only hope that the shields would conceal it well enough. "Do you think big fellow down there would mind letting us slip past?"

"Somehow, I believe he would mind." The Doctor chuckled and Vastra hissed to silence him. Honestly, she would have thought he would know from experience that making too much noise in hostile territory was a dangerous thing to do. "Do you have any other brilliant plans?" The Silurian wished she had never asked. The words had only just left her lips when the Doctor stood from his crouching position behind her and began strolling down the staircase as though it were his home and he was merely on his way down to the kitchen to get a snack. She hissed at him to return at once but before she could grab him and pull him back the Doctor had reached the bottom of the stairs and stood directly behind the Cyberman guarding the building's most obvious entrance.

"Not very smart you lot, are you? Guarding a boarded up door when there's a smashed window upstairs that anyone can climb through." At the sound of his voice the Cyberman turned as swiftly as it could, its large metallic feet crashing against the old floor boards and letting off the most horrendous noises.

"You will identify."

"Don't you give me orders you big old Cyberman, who do you think you are?!" For a moment it simply stared at him. Vastra rolled her eyes, only the Doctor would have the nerve to start an argument with a robot that could kill him in a fraction of a second. Still, she had to admire his bravery. The Cyberman, however, did not appear to understand the concept of an argument and so it simply lifted its arm which concealed its gun out towards the Doctor in a threatening manner.

"You will identify or you will be deleted."

"Oh, alright if you insist. My name's the Doctor and we want to have a little word with you." Vastra's heart stopped for a fraction of a second. He had said 'we'. Something told her that the Doctor didn't understand the concept of her remaining undercover as a form of backup. Sighing she resigned herself to her fate and began to descend the stairs to the Doctor's side. On seeing her the Cyberman redirected the positioning of the gun on his arm to point directly at her but before she could protest the Doctor had already begun speaking. "Oi, put that down. Vastra here needs to stay alive for a long while yet and I won't have you pointing your guns at her. Understand?" The Cyberman did not lower its gun but continued to stare at the pair on the stairs.

"You are intruders. You will be deleted."

"Ah, but we won't will we. If you were going to kill us you would have done it by now. So, I have a few questions I want to ask your boss. Where is he anyway."

"The Cyber leader is not yet converted." It didn't take a genius to understand what was meant by that. Vastra's eyes flicked over to the man perched by the machine and, to her surprise, she found him staring back at her. His face was horribly swollen on one side and, by the light of the candles placed at intervals around the room, the hump on his back seemed more defined than she had ever seen it when watching him before. Quickly, she looked away. The sick feeling in her stomach seemed to grow as she looked at him and she just couldn't take it. Why was it that he made her so uncomfortable?

"Right then big fellow," the Doctor started again, his voice giving Vastra something to focus on aside from the eyes of the man still staring at her from the room at the bottom of the stairs, "you can answer my questions then. How did you get here?" Again the Cyberman remained silent for a short while. Vastra couldn't help but wonder what was causing the delays in speech. Was it damaged? Was there something wrong with it?

"The Cyber leader found us. He brought us here."

"No, I mean how did you get to this planet? What brought you here."

"Unknown." A frown creased the Doctor's forehead and he turned to Vastra for a moment. What did it mean 'unknown'? How could it not know how it reached the planet it was on.

Something was bothering Vastra. Why was it answering all of these questions as though it owed the Doctor some sort of explanation? Surely any creature preparing to take over a planet wouldn't waste its time being interrogated by a man who it could essentially kill with one blow. But this Cyberman was answering every question put to it as though it had no other choice. Why?

"There are two more of you in here, where are they?"

"Guarding the recruits." The recruits? Did it mean the missing people? In that moment Vastra noticed something else.

"Doctor, the machine... the last time I was here it was making a terrible amount of noise." She stopped to listen for a moment and then shook her head. "Why isn't it working now?" It had been more of a rhetorical question but the Cyberman turned to her slowly.

"The converter is damaged." Suddenly everything made sense: the lack of noise, the small amount of Cybermen present, the man who was sat by the machine seemingly with no other function. "The Cyber leader will fix the converter. Then we will convert the planet." The Cyberman's speech was still disjointed and a thought occurred to Vastra. What if the machine had been used to revive the three living Cybermen? It would explain the lack of fluency in the speech pattern and the lacking attempts at overpowering the 'intruders' as it had referred to them. It would explain why the Cyberman wasn't fighting back but merely allowing itself to be interrogated.

She didn't know why she did it. She didn't even know what made her consider the action, but somehow she couldn't stop herself. In a matter of seconds Vastra had stepped forward and, taking hold of the Cyberman's right arm, she pulled down on it with all of the strength she had. It could have been the end of her but as sparks began to erupt from the shoulder the Cyber arm fell away and the creature gave off something between a howl of pain and a high pitched bleeping sound. It staggered back for a few heavy and clumsy paces and the Doctor slid through the gap it had opened up. Instinctively Vastra pulled out her katana but there was no need. The Cyberman didn't budge or even attempt to fight back. It swayed slightly for a moment or so as though in a trance then, much to Vastra's surprise, it toppled backwards and its head hit the wall behind it, dislodging it from the body and leaving it to roll away to the other side of the room.

Meanwhile the Doctor had gone over to the man by the machine and was bent down in front of him, speaking in a low voice. At first sight it would have been easy to mistake them for acquaintances at the least but Vastra could see in the Doctor's eyes that he was far from being at ease. Every time he spoke the man would cut him off, repeating a phrase that was so distorted by the swelling in his face that neither the time lord nor the Silurian could make out what it was. Vastra thought it sounded a little like 'all must be equal' but she couldn't be sure. In any case he would be of no use to them. So, quickly dismissing him, the Doctor sent Vastra off to find the 'recruits'.

"I think it might have meant the people who disappeared" he explained, jumping over to the convertor machine where he started playing with the controls as he had with his sonic screwdriver earlier in the day. "When it said that the other Cybermen were guarding them, I got the feeling that it meant that they hadn't been converted yet. The machine must have been too badly damaged. You need to find them Vastra. You need to get them out of here."

"What about you?"

"Me? I'm going to do what I always do. Press buttons and hope that it disarms the bad guys" The Doctor grinned goofily and then shooed her away.

It didn't take long for Vastra to find what she was looking for. From the back of the room she went through a doorway into a dark and shadowed corridor. As she crept along it the Silurian pulled the hood of her cloak over her head to conceal her appearance. If the apes that had disappeared were still alive they would need to see her as one of them in order to trust her. They would never believe that she was on their side if any one of them caught so much as a glimpse of her skin. At the end of the corridor there was another door, hanging open just enough for Vastra to peek inside the room. As she had expected the other two Cybermen were stationed just inside the doorway and at first she could see no one else. She squinted into the crudely lit room but the only other thing present seemed to be a pile of clothing on the floor. Looking closer, however, she realised that it was not a pile of clothing at all but a huddle of people. There must have been at least twenty of them, all curled together and shaking furiously. Most of them looked half starved and they all appeared to be too afraid to even make eye contact with the Cybermen placed there to guard them.

After that everything happened so fast. Just as Vastra was about to burst through the door the screeching of the machine seemed to restart in the room behind her. Both of the Cybermen turned towards the door but before they could head for the room at the foot of the stairs a buzzing sound started up inside of their helmets, a buzzing sound very similar to that made by the sonic screwdriver.

"What is happening? What is happening?" Both Cybermen repeated the question over and over but they received no answer. They seemed to be making attempts at movement. Their arms convulsed at their sides and their sturdy metal frames began to shake. The frequency of the buzzing noise was rising, higher and higher until it seemed it must be nearing a crescendo. Vastra could almost feel what was about to happen. She burst through the door and twenty pairs of eyes started in her direction.

"Out. Now. Everybody out!" They didn't have to be told twice. One by one the humans seemed to fly past her all heading for the front of the house and as the last one disappeared the Silurian lowered her hood and carefully observed the Cybermen. Both of the creatures had stopped speaking but they were shaking more and more violently by the second. They would implode before too long, Vastra was sure of it. She didn't know what the Doctor had done but whatever it was it had worked. The Cybermen hadn't won.

The next thing the Silurian knew the Doctor had appeared, taken her by the hand and pulled her with him back up the corridor to the main room. The machine seemed to be alive as they passed it. It buzzed and creaked and flashes of blue electricity were flying from it into the very walls of the house. The Deformed man was nowhere to be seen and as the Doctor half dragged Vastra back up the stairs she noticed that the front door was no longer boarded up (the Doctor must have opened it so that the humans could escape). It wasn't until they were back in the TARDIS that everything started to slow down once more.

"The house, will it not destroy the surrounding area when..."

"No. I've contained it. We'll have to hover over it for a minute until the implosion is done but it will be the only property affected." The Doctor seemed slightly distracted and he turned to the control panel. Everything was silent for a short while but the Doctor couldn't stay quiet for long. "I lost him," he was clearly annoyed with himself, "the one that helped them, I lost him." The Doctor didn't like to let those who risked the human race get away until he understood their reasoning. He didn't like not knowing. "One minute he was on that stool and the next he was gone. We have to find him Vastra!"

"No." He stopped trying to lock the TARDIS onto any trace of the man he could find and turned to stare at her. He didn't understand why she was disagreeing. Hadn't Vastra been the one who had wanted to stop them? Hadn't she been the one who wouldn't even allow Jenny to leave the house for fear of anything happening to her? The Doctor just couldn't see how she could let the one person who had caused it all go without so much as an attempt to find him and get an explanation.

"No? What do you mean no?"

"I mean no, Doctor. The Cybermen are gone and that man is about as much of a threat on his own as any one of those humans who we saved. He may have been on their side Doctor but he could never have done any harm if it hadn't been for those Cybermen."

"But Vastra..."

"No. Take me home." Vastra refused to say any more. The Doctor attempted to reason with her but the Silurian merely sat, staring into thin air. The unease she had felt around the deformed man was still bothering her. She still couldn't understand what had caused it and that was exactly why she didn't want to go chasing after him. It wasn't because she wasn't curious about what he had attempted to achieve or because she didn't want to see him punished for his actions, she was just too afraid that she may find out what it was that was unsettling her in the man's presence.


	26. Reconciliation

Everything was quiet, it had been that way since she had heard Vastra and the Doctor leave. Somehow Jenny thought that it was worse being trapped in the house alone than it was being stuck there with Vastra watching her every move. Even though she hated feeling that she was constantly being watched, at least when the Silurian was there she had someone to talk to in order to escape the mind numbing boredom.

Jenny had been sat in their bed in silence for so long that she had entirely lost track of what time it was or how long it had been since the other two had left. She found it quite ironic how she could be friends with a time lord and yet her awareness of time at that moment seemed to have completely escaped her. The girl knew she could have just checked the clock but to be quite frank she didn't see what difference it would make anyway. She wasn't leaving that room until Vastra stopped being stubborn and the Silurian certainly wasn't coming in. Jenny didn't care how many times the other woman apologised, it would take more than that to win her over after keeping her locked up like a prisoner for two straight weeks. Sighing, the girl leant back against the pillows and looked down at her belly.

"This is your fault y'know," she muttered, slightly more bitterly than was necessary, "she knows I could 'andle myself, she's only makin' me stay 'ere because o' you." Jenny knew she was being ridiculous blaming her unborn child for the problems that her confinement was causing between herself and Vastra but strictly speaking it was the little thing's fault. Vastra had trained Jenny to fight. She had trained her to be able to go on missions and protect herself. The only thing holding the girl back was the baby. "It doesn't 'elp that your mother's as stubborn as she is either. She never gives in, even when I'm right and she's not. Not that I'm sayin' I'm always right mind you, that'd be silly, but I'm right more often than she acknowledges an' it drives me up the bleedin' wall!" For a moment Jenny went quiet once more but after a few seconds she began to giggle to herself and she rested her hand on the curve of her stomach. "Listen to me, talkin' to you like you've got any idea what I'm sayin'. I wonder what you'd be thinkin' if you could understand me though, 'ey? You'd probably be tellin' me to stop givin' 'er an 'ard time an' that she's only lookin' after us, wouldn't you...?" She shook her head and let her eyes wonder across to Vastra's side of the bed. "Well, I'm sorry little 'un but I aint givin' in easy this time. I let 'er off for 'er slip ups most o' the time but I 'ate bein' locked up 'ere an' I swear if I 'ave to do it for much longer she's gonna 'ave to put up with much worse than me jus' lockin' 'er out o' the room." The girl didn't know what to expect really. Obviously she wasn't going to get an answer any time soon, and really she would have been a little afraid if the kid did respond. She didn't think even a mixed species child would be capable of that while still unborn.

As Jenny's one sided conversation with her baby died out the master bedroom fell back into an eerie silence. The lack of noise was the worst part in Jenny's mind. It just reminded her that Vastra wasn't there which then made her start to second guess whether her love was okay or not. Was she even still alive? Yes, Jenny had no doubt about that. She would have known if Vastra were dead, just as she had known that something was wrong on the night when the woman had returned from her case with that stab wound in her side. It was strange, Jenny thought, how certain memories could come back so easily at such unexpected times. She hadn't thought about that night in a very long time but it was oddly comforting in a way. Of course Jenny was still angry at Vastra but she still worried, and the memory that she had sensed the woman's pain before was a nice reminder that if something were wrong then she would most likely know about it.

Jenny wondered if Vastra and the Doctor had found the Cybermen yet. She wondered how many there were and if any of the people who had disappeared were still alive. A thousand questions about the case were rushing through her head all at once and she just wished that she could be there to find out the answers for herself. She had to find some way to distract herself, she couldn't just sit there sulking like a child and letting herself worry about the woman she loved. Jenny was just about to get up to find her knitting when there was a soft knock on the bedroom door that halted her attempts at movement.

"Jenny?" The tone of Vastra's voice seemed softer than usual and Jenny smiled to herself a little at the sound of it. The older woman liked to pretend to be big and strong most of the time but when she knew she had upset her sweet girl she always allowed her solid exterior to crumble away. "Darling please, open the door. I'm sorry." Usually Vastra's heartfelt pleas for forgiveness and the gentler tone of her voice would pull at Jenny's heart and she would forgive the woman immediately, but after everything she was determined not to give in so easily.

"Go away Vastra." A part of the girl truly hated herself for being so stubborn. She didn't want to fight or build a barrier between herself and Vastra. She didn't really want to shut the Silurian out at all. All Jenny wanted was for the woman she loved to listen to her when she said that she needed freedom to come and go as she pleased. She understood that Vastra was scared for her but her love and protection was becoming suffocating and Jenny simply couldn't handle it. Pushing Vastra away was the only way she could think of to get her to listen.

On the other side of the door Jenny heard Vastra hiss irritably. The Silurian could see what her little human girl was doing and it upset her intensely. All she had been trying to do was to protect her family, was that so wrong? She didn't think so. But of course Jenny would be stubborn about it. The girl had a talent for being stubborn and, although at times it annoyed Vastra, in her eyes it was also one of the most endearing traits that Jenny possessed. There was something incredibly cute about her refusal to give in, although Vastra couldn't understand why, and in a way it made the Silurian more determined to earn the girl's forgiveness.

"I am not going anywhere until we have talked, my love." As she spoke, Vastra pressed her back against the door and slowly she slid down the wooden surface until she was sitting on the floor and leaning against the doorframe. She was so tired that she could feel her eyes willing themselves closed but she forced herself to stay awake. She would not allow herself to sleep until Jenny had forgiven her and they were back on good terms, the girl was far more important than anything else, sleep included.

"Well you're gonna be waitin' a long time!"

"Jenny please!"

Silence fell between them and Jenny began to chew on her bottom lip lightly. Shutting Vastra out wasn't as easy as she had hoped. Every time her name fell from the Silurian's lips all she wanted was to open the door and let her love hold her. Whether she was angry at her or not Jenny still loved the woman with all of her heart and she loved that Vastra cared for her so much, even if it did become a little too much at times. She turned away from the door and (with a little difficulty) lay down on her side. She had hoped that moving her attention from the place where Vastra was sat would distract her from the Silurian's presence but it didn't. Instead she found herself staring at the empty side of the bed where Vastra belonged and it only made shutting her out even harder.

"We destroyed them you know..." Jenny couldn't hold back the slight smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth but she didn't respond. She was glad that 'the threat' (as Vastra had been referring to the Cybermen) was gone, but she still wasn't sure that it meant that Vastra would lighten up her protective impulses. Despite Jenny's refusal to participate in the conversation Vastra continued to talk. A part of her was hoping that it would spark some normality between them, she couldn't bear to be shut out by the one person who meant the most to her in the world. "The machine broke... none of the humans who were taken were harmed. We saved them, just like we saved you from that gang." Jenny felt tears in her eyes at the mention of the night they met. She knew a part of her had belonged to Vastra from the first time that she had seen her. The Silurian had been so beautiful and yet such a mystery, and despite her initial worries about Jenny the girl knew that as they had learned more about one another Vastra had grown to feel the same love that Jenny had felt from that very first moment.

Jenny felt as though something was being churned up in her stomach as she remembered that moment when she had begun to fall in love with Vastra and she tried to rub the bump of her belly to calm the feeling. Involuntarily a small moan broke from the back of her throat and outside the door behind her she heard the Silurian hiss once more. There was a rustle and then a bump followed by the sound of something scratching against the lock of the door. Before Jenny knew what was going on the bedroom door had swung open and Vastra rushed over to her.

"What's wrong? Is it the baby?" A worried expression passed over her face for a moment but as Jenny smiled slightly the Silurian's features relaxed a little. Vastra had felt her heart stop when she had heard Jenny's groan. A part of her had truly believed that something was seriously wrong and, although she hadn't wanted to enter the room against her darling girl's wishes she had instinctively needed to check that her love was okay.

"You worry too much," Jenny whispered as she tried to turn herself over to face the Silurian who was perched on the edge of the bed behind her, "sometimes I think it'll be that that finishes you off instead o' any o' them criminals you go chasin' after." Vastra's gaze dropped down to the girl's stomach and Jenny sighed. Gently, she took Vastra's hand and pressed it to the bump, groaning a little uncomfortably as the churning feeling started up again. "It's been wrigglin' around in there on an' off all day. Don't seem to want to settle no matter what I do." Vastra's thumb traced tiny circles on the side of Jenny's stomach where the girl had placed it and she leant down so that her face was level with the bump.

"Now, now little one," she whispered, "your poor mummy has enough problems with me being selfish and inconsiderate, she does not need you making her uncomfortable in there as well." The Silurian dipped her head to kiss her darling girl's stomach and she rested her cheek against its warmth for a moment. "I really was only trying to keep you both safe Jenny..."

"I know." Light, cerulean eyes wondered up to look into the girl's face and Vastra lifted her head from her stomach. A small smile played on Jenny's lips and she patted the bed next to her for Vastra to lay by her side. The older woman carefully climbed over the girl's body and settled herself into the pillows as Jenny readjusted her position. She pulled Vastra close so that their bodies fit together like spoons and she giggled slightly as the Silurian nuzzled her face into the thick curls of her hair at the back of her neck.

Vastra had been beginning to think that she had hurt Jenny a little too much when she had been sat outside the door only a few minutes before. She had felt as though her heart was tearing itself apart from the inside and all she had wanted was for Jenny to know how sorry she was and to understand that she only went to such extremes because the mere thought of losing what they had made her think her life couldn't possibly go on. For a while Vastra had begun to wonder if the girl would ever let her anywhere near to her again, or if she had ruined it all by loving her Jenny too much; but as she lay with the girl in her arms and their child now much more settled in its mother's stomach all of the Silurian's fears flowed out of her mind and ebbed away into nothingness.

"I am truly sorry my darling, so very sorry. I never meant to..."

"Vastra stop. It's okay. You wanted us to be safe and I know that." Jenny laced her fingers through the other woman's and pulled her arms tighter around herself. "You may 'ave gone about it the wrong way but you were only tryin' to protect us. I'm sorry I got so upset, I just need to get out of 'ere. I need a change. I feel like I've been locked in a cage an' now all I want to do is run an' run an' only stop when I absolutely can't carry on any longer." Vastra shifted her weight so that she was leaning up on her elbow and she chuckled slightly to herself. She hadn't meant to ruin the moment but somehow the thought of Jenny running while pregnant was a rather amusing concept.

"I am not sure the little one would appreciate you going for a jog in your condition." Jenny giggled and rolled her eyes, only Vastra could turn something so serious into a joke without meaning to. "You are right of course. I can only imagine how bored you must be of the inside of this house. So, I have a surprise for you..." Jenny turned to look at her love who leaned over her and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. The girl's eyes lit up at the mention of the word surprise and a grin spread right across her face. Vastra couldn't suppress another chuckle at the sight of it. It was so refreshing to the old warrior when her darling girl showed just how young she truly was. Vastra almost felt young herself in the odd moments that Jenny let her guard down and allowed herself to stop wearing the sensible mask of a grown up for a change.

At the very prospect of a surprise Jenny smoothly extracted herself from Vastra's arms and, with a little more help from the Silurian, managed to sit herself up once more. Although Jenny hated having to be helped up as though she were an invalid somehow she didn't mind it so much when the woman she loved had set up some sort of surprise for her. It was almost worth the humiliation that she was unable to move about smoothly by herself.

As the two women descended the stairs her excitement seemed to triple and if it had been possible or socially acceptable Vastra was sure that Jenny would have run all the way down the stairs to the TARDIS which stood waiting for them just by the front door. At the sight of it Jenny had gripped her loves hand tightly and Vastra thought she had never seen the girl smile so brightly in all of the time that they had been together.

"Where are we going?" She had pleaded with the woman to tell her but Vastra had merely placed a hand against her back and guided her down to the bottom of the stairs. She didn't want Jenny to know what the surprise would be, it would entirely defeat the object. Still, it didn't stop Jenny from asking. Throughout the journey through the time vortex the girl begged Vastra to tell her what it was, even allowing herself to tear up at one point in the hope that the Silurian would give in, but still she wouldn't tell. It was only when the TARDIS landed and the Doctor winked at her that Jenny's begging ceased and her eyes wondered to the door.

"What's out there...?"

~.~.~.~.~.~

The feeling of the soft sand sliding between her toes was heavenly and with each step Jenny took she began to feel more and more at peace with herself. It was almost as though she were reconnecting with nature from the time that she had spent locked away from it and as the golden waves of water rolled over her feet again and again the girl sighed contentedly. Of all of the places in all of time and space that Vastra could have brought her to after her two weeks in the house Jenny was very pleased with the woman's choice.

"What did you say this place was called again?" The girl slipped her arm through that of the other woman and as they walked she rested her head on Vastra's shoulder.

"Derida." Jenny loved how the word rolled from Vastra's tongue so that the r was a softer sound and each syllable floated onto the air rather than shooting from the woman's mouth. When she herself tried to say the name of the beautiful planet that her love had brought her to it sounded harsh and common, but Vastra's pronunciation was flawless.

Derida really was beautiful. The entire planet was like an oversized beach that stretched on for hundreds of thousands of miles in every direction. It was very different to the beaches on earth that Jenny had seen in pictures though. The skies were tinted in the softest shade of yellow and the sea water that flowed beneath it looked to be pure gold in liquid form. While Jenny had been told by friends that the sea on earth tasted of salt the waters of Derida were so pure and clean and light that if one were to immerse themselves in it they would barely be able to tell the difference between the sea and the open air. The sandy beaches that broke up the water were soft and even and at that moment in time the beach that Vastra and Jenny were walking along was entirely deserted but for the exception of themselves, the Doctor and the TARDIS (the latter of which were hanging around somewhere far behind to give the two women some time alone).

"You know, this place was once a very popular destination for lovers to visit simply for its pure, untainted beauty" Vastra commented. To look at the place it was hard to believe that anyone else had ever walked along the sand or witnessed the ethereal blue sun that lit the shores. "Of course, over time much of traditional romance throughout the universe died out and with it went the desire for lovers to come here. I believe the Doctor mentioned to me that we would be the first beings to set foot on this planet in near enough twenty thousand years." Jenny tilted her gaze up to meet Vastra's and lifting her head from the woman's shoulder shook it from side to side in disbelief.

"Y'know, you say that romance died out but I don't see 'ow that's possible. I see ladies in London gettin' romanced every day an'... well, then there's everythin' you do for me..." Vastra laughed and redirected the path which they were walking slightly further away from the water and onto the drier sand.

"The human race is one of very few who still allow themselves to be led by their hearts and the idea of love, my darling. And as for me, I suppose I just allowed myself to give in to the idealisation of love when I found you. The heart really is rather complex. Before I met you an idea such as this would never have occurred to me, yet here we are." Jenny felt a slight blush creeping into her cheeks and she stopped their progress along the beach, turning Vastra to face her. The Silurian's eyes observed her carefully and Jenny had to really try not to blush any more obviously than she already was.

"I know we don't actually say it as often as we should," she whispered, gently wrapping her hand around the back of the other woman's neck, "but you really do mean the world to me. I barely remember what my life was like before you any more Vastra, it's like you've taken over my mind. An' I want you to know, that I've never been 'appier than I am every second that I get to spend with you." At some point as she spoke tears had sprung into Jenny's eyes and carefully Vastra lifted her fingers to brush away the first few tears that were beginning to roll down the girl's cheeks.

"Oh, my silly little human. We do not say it because it does not need to be said." She leant down and gently kissed the girl's lips, sighing contentedly as she felt the little bump that was their child getting in the way of their embrace. The Silurian may have missed the feeling of Jenny's tiny little body held tightly against her own but there was something so heart warming about the child being a part of them and their love and she simply couldn't be annoyed about it keeping them further apart. "Now, come along my dear, we really should be getting back to the Doctor - it is getting late and you know how stroppy and childish he can be."


	27. A Battle of Names

Jenny didn't know how she had never seen it before but eight months was a hell of a long time and to be quite frank she was so over the whole concept of pregnancy. Her back was always hurting, her ankles felt as though they were the size of tree trunks, she was constantly tired or hungry and she missed being able to sit and stand up by herself. Not only that but to make matters worse she seemed to always need to use the bathroom and, although she tried to go by herself, her need for assistance in getting up after being seated was becoming a problem for Vastra who Jenny could tell was growing more than a little short tempered with her. In basic terms, Jenny wanted the baby out. Unfortunately though, with still a month to go, the baby didn't seem to be showing any signs of wanting to come into the world early.

"Vastra!" The Silurian looked up from the paperwork that she had been working on in her office at the sound of her name and for a moment she debated with herself over whether or not she could get away with pretending she had not heard Jenny calling. It wasn't that she didn't want to be helpful, she knew that Jenny couldn't help needing the assistance, it was just that she was finding it very difficult to stay calm when every time Jenny called for her the girl would find some completely unnecessary task for her to do before complaining yet again about how terrible she felt and how she wished that they could just skip the next month entirely. Honestly, Vastra was becoming a little bored of it. However, knowing that she would only get herself into trouble if she tried to ignore Jenny she resigned herself to her fate and begrudgingly made her way down to the sitting room.

The fire was burning brightly in the fireplace despite summer still not having passed entirely and Jenny was stretched out along the sofa, propped up against an abundant pile of pillows and with her feet stretched out in front of her. On the coffee table she had got Vastra to fetch her a nice cup of tea (which actually wasn't as nice as she had hoped, she really did need to teach the lizard woman how to make a proper cup of tea) and a plate with a selection of cakes. However, as Vastra re-entered the room she noticed that not only were all of the cakes gone but the plate on which they had been sat also appeared to have been thoroughly licked clean. She couldn't for the life of her figure out how Jenny was eating so much in such a short period of time - she could have sworn it was only ten minutes since she had last seen the plate piled high with cake. Even taking into account that the girl was eating for two the amount of food that she managed to get through in a day was practically inhuman.

"You called?" Vastra was trying her hardest not to seem too fed up. In all honesty she could have done without Jenny calling for her every five or ten minutes while she was trying to work. The distractions seemed to be coming more and more regularly and it was starting to become nearly impossible for the Silurian to get any work done at all. Every time Vastra started to notice a pattern in a collection of crimes or thought that she had an idea about where to find a criminal Jenny would call her away and by the time she had finally made it back to the study every thought that had been held in her mind seemed to have melted away to nothing. Luckily Jenny didn't seem to notice the irritation in Vastra's voice and after looking up at the woman innocently for a moment with an apologetic gleam in her beautiful brown eyes she extended her hand out to Vastra and made miniature grabbing motions not too dissimilar to those that the baby would probably make once it was born.

"Come 'ere." With a great deal of effort the girl swung her legs back round over the edge of the sofa and, assuming that Jenny needed to relieve herself (again), Vastra sighed and hesitantly trudged over to a point just in front of where she was sitting. However, as she took hold of Jenny's clammy little hands the Silurian was surprised to find herself being pulled down next to her sweet girl and Jenny immediately began to snuggle in closely next to her. For a moment Vastra had no idea what was happening but the pure heat radiating from Jenny's body was so intense that it reminded Vastra of the atmosphere of earth back in her own time period and without realising it her eyes snapped shut and she began to purr lightly as Jenny nuzzled closer. It wasn't until the Silurian opened her eyes once more to find Jenny looking up at her and blushing that Vastra even realised what she had been doing. A deep blush tinted her own scales as realisation began to creep into her mind and Jenny giggled softly at the sight of it.

"Enjoyin' yourself ma'am?" she asked, giggling even more as Vastra covered her face with both hands in an attempt to hide her blush. She didn't know why she had gotten so carried away with just a simple cuddle but until that point the Silurian had never realised how much warmer Jenny was while pregnant. The fire probably played some part in it but even so Vastra had never noticed the heat radiating from her darling girl until that very moment. Gently Jenny peeled Vastra's hands back from her face as she made a concerted effort not to laugh any more than she already had. She didn't know what exactly had come over the Silurian but she so loved when Vastra purred in that way that she pressed a gentle kiss to the woman's nose and cuddled herself even closer to try and reassure her that there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"Is this what you called me down here for?" Vastra muttered, still a little embarrassed about her momentary lapse in awareness over her own actions. Despite the embarrassment however, she let her arms wrap themselves around the girl curled closely into her body and allowed herself to relax back into the seat. She knew that really she should have been getting on with her work but in her heart Vastra was much happier where she was.

"Would it be a problem if I said yes?"

"Of course not. Why on earth would you ask something like that?" Realistically the Silurian knew that it was her own fault. Her patience had been dwindling as of late and every time she was pulled away from her work she had been a bit more begrudging towards Jenny; no wonder the girl was a little upset about it, she couldn't help that she needed Vastra more than she would under normal circumstances. Jenny just shrugged in response, she didn't want to say anything that could possibly cause an argument.

"I just missed you, y'know. I know it's nothin' important an' I should 'ave just let you work but I thought you wouldn't mind sittin' with me for a few minutes. We don't really get to do this anymore an' I really wish we did." She had a point, Vastra could barely remember the last time the two of them had sat curled up together and just talked. It was strange, when Jenny had first come to live at the house the pair had spent hours every night just sat together and enjoying one another's company but since the beginning of the pregnancy Jenny barely managed to stay awake past dinner. Even on the few occasions when she did manage to sit with the Silurian rather than going to bed she would very quickly find herself falling asleep in the other woman's arms and Vastra would end up carrying her up to bed so that the girl could get a proper rest.

"Forget work my love, it is unimportant." Jenny raised an eyebrow and looked up at Vastra in shock. Teasingly she took the Silurian's head in her hands and turned it first one way and then the other, pretending to check her over as though she may have been wearing a mask.

"Who the 'ell are you an' what 'ave you done with my Vastra?" She giggled and slowly removed her grip on Vastra's head as the other woman took hold of her hands and rolled her eyes.

"What I meant is that this is the most important thing to me right now." The Silurian pressed a long and loving kiss to Jenny's forehead before leaning down to kiss her lips gently. "You, me and our little hatchling - those are the things I should be focused on, not criminals and police officers. We are going to be mothers soon..." It wasn't until that moment that Vastra truly began to understand that they really were about to have a child. The corners of her mouth quirked up slightly as realisation began to dawn on her and she locked her eyes on her darling girl's. All of a sudden it all seemed so real. At first Vastra had liked the idea of being a mother, of course, but somehow it hadn't seemed like it was actually going to happen. Yet, in only a month there would be a miniature version of Jenny and herself in the world and the thought of it was almost entirely overwhelming for the Silurian.

"Vastra? Darlin', are you okay?" Jenny was looking at her with a concerned expression on her face and as she ran her thumb gently along the smooth scales under the Silurian's eye Vastra suddenly became aware that she was crying. She nodded her head and parted her lips to speak but no words seemed to come to her. How could she possibly put everything she was feeling into such a simple form as words? In her native tongue perhaps it would have been possible but where would be the point when she could not explain to Jenny what she was saying in an eloquent enough manner. As always Jenny seemed to understand. A soft smile graced her pretty features as she continued to brush the tears from Vastra's cheeks and she regarded the woman with an sense of amazement. "I never thought I'd see the day you were reduced to tears over somethin' so sentimental as a baby."

"Not just any baby my love, ours. Our baby."

~.~.~.~.~.~

For the rest of the day neither Vastra nor Jenny moved from their spot on the sofa where they had curled up together earlier on in the day unless they absolutely had to. In fact, the only time either of them did move was when Jenny would send Vastra to get her snacks (the child was definitely going to be fat, Vastra was sure of it). As the pair spoke for hours on end it began to become very apparent to them both that they had not put as much thought into what having a child meant as they had thought. It had only just occurred to Jenny that they had not yet set up a nursery for the baby, nor had they got it a crib or toys or anything else that she knew all babies needed. They hadn't picked out any name choices or considered who would look after it when the two of them were busy working. In fact, it seemed that the only thing that Jenny and Vastra had done was to check with doctor Rackham every so often to ensure that the baby was healthy and safe. So, deciding that it was about time that they sorted something out, the two women had begun to discuss the possibilities for what they would name their child.

"You 'ave got to be jokin'! Vastra, I am not callin' my child Delana, do you know 'ow much she'd get picked on if other children 'ad to call 'er that?! She'd be a joke to 'em." Jenny was beginning to wish that she had never suggested that they should start by considering baby names. It had seemed like a good idea since it was the simplest of all of the things they needed to do but as the hours ticked away there didn't seem to be any names that the pair of them could agree on.

"Oh, and I suppose Martha is better is it?"

"Oi! My parents very nearly called me Martha, an' I think it's quite a pretty name." Vastra rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest.

"I prefer the one you have."

"Yeah, well we aint discussin' what to call me, are we." Jenny was getting frustrated. She knew that she could be stubborn but in comparison to Vastra she was actually very easily persuaded. The issue they were having was that each of them preferred the names more commonly used by their own species but the cultural differences made it impossible for either of them to see the other's choices of names as acceptable.

"Darling, how could we plausibly give our child a name that would be considered normal to humans? She or he will not be a normal human child." Vastra was trying her best not to turn the discussion into an argument but Jenny just didn't seem to understand that the chances of their child even appearing to be normal were very slim. It seemed silly to give it a normal human name when they knew full well that there would be nothing normal about it.

"Just because our baby won't be normal it don't mean it 'as to be a social outcast."

"I am not a social outcast and my name is hardly what you would consider normal." Jenny just sighed. "I am right, am I not?"

"Yes, but the only 'umans who ever find out your name either 'ave a basic idea of what you are or only find it out just before you kill 'em."

"Oh, Jenny that is not true and you know it." Silence fell between them and Jenny put her head in her hands with an audible groan. She was beginning to feel as though they would never find any name that they could both agree on. It wasn't that she was entirely opposed to giving their child an unusual name, it was just that every name that Vastra had suggested seemed to sound more and more alien. Jenny at least wanted something human in her child's name.

"Okay, 'ow about this, we'll each pick a name we like an' then when the baby's born we can see which we think suits it best." A compromise seemed to be the only way Jenny could think that they would get through the process of choosing a name without falling into one of their ongoing rows. The women had a certain talent for creating arguments that never seemed to end, they were both so strong willed that it was near impossible for them to avoid such conflicts. Luckily though they had found a system to combat the issue. It had been an idea that Vastra had come up with when they had first started arguing about the ape/human situation; if the argument got too heated and lasted for too long they would pause it until the next time they saw the Doctor, then they would let him decide who was right. It was the simplest solution and actually seemed to work out fairly well. Somehow though, Jenny didn't think that allowing the Doctor to choose their child's name would be the best idea so her solution for a compromise seemed like the best option.

"Well, I suppose that would work."

"Just, please don't choose anything too abnormal. I don't want our little 'un to be miserable just because it 'as a strange name." Vastra raised an eyebrow in protest but the pleading look in Jenny's eyes deterred her from opposing the girl.

"Very well. For a girl what about," the Silurian thought for a minute, her eyes downcast in concentration, "Nyx?" Jenny pulled a disapproving face and Vastra sighed. "Fine, Azza?" Another disapproving look. Vastra hissed slightly in annoyance but decided she would try once more before questioning Jenny's system altogether - how was it supposed to work if the girl would not actually allow her to use any of the names she chose? "Alright, neither of those are any good. How about Aria?" The girl seemed to be thinking, it was at least an improvement on immediate disapproval. It took a few minutes but eventually Jenny nodded.

"I could live with that, I don't think it'd cause 'er too many problems. I was thinking maybe Sophie?" Vastra didn't even have to think. She knew why Jenny had chosen that name. Of all of the names that the girl had already suggested Sophie was the one that Vastra had liked the most. She wasn't sure why it appealed so much, perhaps because it was so soft and light, it didn't seem as harsh as some of the other human names that Jenny had suggested. With a swift nod Vastra was about to suggest a boy's name but Jenny quickly pressed her finger to the other woman's lips. She shook her head softly and for a moment Vastra's brow creased. Suggesting a name each had been Jenny's idea, why was she now going against her own solution to their problem?

"I aint negotiating a boy's name love, I already know what I want to call it if it's a boy." Her voice seemed distant and her eye line lowered slightly so that her gaze lingered on the finger that she still held pressed to Vastra's lips. The Silurian could tell that there was no point in arguing the matter, clearly Jenny had a reason for whatever name it was that she had chosen and that reason meant a great deal to the girl if her demeanour was anything to go by. Vastra wanted to ask what the name was but she didn't want to push Jenny. The girl seemed to have withdrawn into herself and for a few minutes she simply seemed to stop. She didn't move at all, her finger remaining on Vastra's lips and her eyes locked in place. Eventually though, her small voice cut through the silence as her gaze lifted to meet Vastra's own. "I want to name 'im Sam, after my brother." Vastra nodded, she understood. Jenny had been missing her brother ever since she had been kicked out of the family home, it was a good enough reason in Vastra's eyes for the girl to want to name her child after him.

"Well, that is one task completed. Which should we tackle next?"


	28. A Downward Spiral

"Jenny, where are you going?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"I don't know. Anywhere. Somewhere where I can just stop thinkin' about babies and pregnancy and bein' a mother for five bleedin' minutes!" Vastra sighed. Why was it that every time they tried to make preparations for the baby it had to end in an argument and Jenny storming out? In all honesty the Silurian would be glad when the child was finally born and Jenny's mood swings could settle down again. Of course she loved Jenny no matter what, but she missed how things had been before. They never used to fight at all but since the pregnancy it seemed to have become like a daily ritual of sorts.

"Darling please, I only suggested that perhaps the crib would be better placed under the window. Is all of this fuss really necessary?" The girl's eyes flashed dangerously and Vastra immediately knew that she had said the wrong thing yet again.

"Is it necessary?! Yes it's bleedin' necessary you ridiculous lizard! This is our child we're talkin' about, the one and only thing that we should always fuss over! Or don't you care at all?!" She tried to storm out of the room but Vastra wouldn't let her. The second that Jenny moved to turn away the Silurian's hand closed around her wrist and she pulled the girl back to face her with such force that she had to steady Jenny as she stumbled towards her slightly. Bright blue eyes pierced into dark and Vastra shook her head almost in disbelief. How could Jenny even suggest such a thing? The child and Jenny meant more to Vastra than life itself. Had she not proved that yet? Had she not made it clear how important the two were to her? She knew that Jenny didn't mean to hurt her, and that the girl's temper was simply getting the better of her, but she had been making similar comments more and more often as of late and it was beginning to chip away at the Silurian's normally unbreakable mask of serenity.

Jenny hadn't meant to say it but as the last bitter question sprang from her lips she could see how hurt Vastra was. The lustre in the Silurian's scales seemed to dull slightly under the girl's watchful gaze and the cerulean eyes snapped down to the floor. It was how Jenny imagined it would look to watch a heart breaking, all of the pain and sadness depicted before her in a few simple movements. Her hand pressed against her lips as though she was trying to stop herself from saying it but it was just too late. The words had already been said and there was no taking them back.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was a broken whisper and it shook slightly but still Jenny had to say it. Her eyes filled with tears and she shook her head furiously from side to side, wishing with all of her heart that she could just take it all back as though it had never happened. "Vastra I... I didn't mean that, you know I didn't. I... I'm sorry my love, so sorry. I know you care, you care more than anyone else in this world; I'd 'ave to be blind, deaf and stupid not to know that." The tears were beginning to spill carelessly down the surface of her cheeks and Jenny tried to take a step closer to the other woman but Vastra immediately took a step back and released the grip that she had had on the girl's wrist. "Vastra please..." Vastra shook her head and her hands trembled slightly as they fidgeted nervously in front of her. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say. All she knew was that she couldn't keep living as they were with Jenny always questioning her loyalty and love.

"If you do not know what you both mean to me by now Jenny then why are we doing this?" Not once did the Silurian allow her eyes to wonder up to the girl's face. Vastra knew that if she did she would not be able to control herself and the hurt would come pouring out in floods of tears. For a creature that never thought she could cry she had been doing an awful lot of it since Jenny had entered her life. "I do not understand what we are supposed to be if you do not believe that my heart and soul are yours. That is what a family is, is it not? And yet you question if I care for our child at all..."

"I didn't mean it!" Jenny felt sick. Just knowing how much she had hurt the woman she loved was tearing at her insides and she hated herself for ever opening her mouth to say anything at all. "Ma'am please, you 'ave to believe me. I'm just so tired an' stressed an' I want everythin' to be perfect. It's so 'ard when we can't agree on where to put the crib or 'ow to decorate the nursery. I... I just wanna get this right. I never got the chance to 'ave pretty things an' a proper furnished room when I was young, I want to give our baby everythin' I didn't 'ave an' more." Vastra still wouldn't look at her but all of a sudden Jenny had grown deathly pale. Her head was spinning and she felt as though she could vomit at any given moment.

The silence that fell between the two women was more uncomfortable than any they had ever experienced before. Vastra wanted to see Jenny's face, to check that the girl was okay and to assure herself that it wasn't just words that were falling from her delicate little lips, but she wouldn't allow herself even a peep. Her heart felt battered and bruised and the Silurian didn't know how much more she could take. What if a baby hadn't been such a good idea? What if they had been fools and allowed themselves to get carried away with something that could never work? Vastra resented herself for even thinking such things but she couldn't suppress her concerns. What if none of it would work out at all and they would both end up broken.

"I need some air..." Pulled from her musings by the sound of the girl's voice Vastra lifted her eye line just in time to catch sight of Jenny as she turned out of the room. She didn't look well at all. The girl's skin was almost translucent it was so pale and although she walked quickly there was something unsteady in her step. The sight of it squeezed Vastra's heart tightly, constricting the steady beating until all the Silurian could think of was going after her. It didn't matter if what the girl had said had hurt her, Vastra needed to know that she was okay. She needed to know that their child was okay.

Barely thinking, Vastra rushed to their bedroom and grabbed her cloak and veil from the bed before rushing back out and following the path Jenny had taken down the stairs. As she reached the front door the Silurian's suspicions that something was wrong were confirmed at the site of the door flung wide open. Jenny would never leave without closing the door under normal circumstances. She knew better than most that to do so was practically begging for thieves to help themselves to anything they could possibly want, she had lived amongst the sort of people who survived from theft for long enough to have learned that.

Vastra flung on her cloak and veil and closed the door behind her before continuing after Jenny. She could see the girl gliding around a corner at the end of the street and her heart gave a slight twitch, Jenny was heading for the East end of London - specifically the docks. But why would she go there?

~.~.~.~.~.~

Walking down by the water front did make Jenny feel a little better. Although the smell of fish and salt water turned her stomach it also cleansed her in a way; it reminded her of her father and how he had always smelled when he returned home from work after long days of loading and unloading the ships. Jenny knew that it was why she had chosen to go there. She always missed her father most when she and Vastra fought. She supposed it was something to do with feeling as though she was losing the solidarity in her life. Until Vastra came along Jenny's father had been the strong one. He had been the one who had protected her and kept her happy. He had been the one who would pick her up when she fell (both physically and metaphorically) and dried her tears when she was sobbing over the shattered fragments of her heart. Vastra had taken on that role when Jenny had fallen for her. The Silurian had filled the gap in her heart left after she was ostracised from her family and she had picked up the pieces of Jenny that had been falling apart from the life that she had led. Jenny had thought that Vastra would be that strength for her forever, but then they had started fighting and she was beginning to wonder if she had been naive to put so much faith in the woman.

That was why Jenny had headed for the docks as she had begun to feel herself falling apart again while she and Vastra had argued. She knew that she couldn't let her father see her, it would only break her heart more to see him block her out while remaining fully aware of her presence, but she wanted to see him. She needed to see him. Something in Jenny needed to be reminded that he was still living even if he was no longer a part of her life. Sometimes it felt as though her family were dead, all of them gone forever, but she couldn't accept that about her father. She wouldn't let herself. As she rounded another corner Jenny stopped in her tracks. Ahead of her she could see the men working - some big, some small, all strong as oxen and lugging huge crates of heaven knows what back and forth from the ships. Somewhere amongst the throng of sweating, half dressed, male bodies was her father.

For a moment Jenny began to second guess herself - what if he saw her? What if he didn't ignore her and instead felt the need to approach her? What would she do then? What would she say? She knew the chances of it actually happening were very slim indeed but still she couldn't fight off the endless stream of questions in her mind. It wasn't until a pain began to grow deep in her stomach, however, that the worst thought occurred to her. What would he say if he were to find out about the child? The last time they had spoken, he and her mother had turned Jenny away for falling in love with a woman - how on earth was she supposed to explain her pregnancy? She couldn't tell him the truth. It was bad enough that he knew about her gender preferences, she was sure that it would have been adding insult to injury if she were then to tell him that the woman she loved was also an alien (of sorts) who had somehow quite beyond their understanding managed to impregnate her and that he would very soon become the grandfather of a mixed species child. Just the thought of such a conversation was laughable.

Dismissing the pain in her stomach as the baby kicking her Jenny took a deep breath and continued walking. Whatever happened she just had to see her father. She needed to know that he was still there. While the rest of her world felt as though it was crumbling around her Jenny needed to know that her father was still physically in existence just in case the day came when she needed him again.

Vastra had continued to follow Jenny from their home to the docks and, although she had considered stopping the girl and trying to talk to her, she had instead opted to keep a certain amount of distance between them. The Silurian had found that the time that she spent following Jenny had given her a chance to think. It had been utterly ridiculous of her to take what Jenny had said so badly. She didn't know why she had allowed a comment that had been made in the heat of the moment to hurt her so much. Of course Jenny hadn't meant it. Of course the girl knew that she cared and that both she and the child were everything to the Silurian. Vastra didn't know what had possessed her in order to make her react in the way that she had but she wished it had never happened.

As the two women walked just a short distance from one another it had been a great comfort for Vastra to see that Jenny appeared to strengthen a little as she walked. The girl had seemed to be so out of sorts on leaving their home in Paternoster Row and Vastra had been worried that there was something terribly wrong. Still, as Jenny began to grow a little stronger Vastra had felt the constricting of her heart loosen slightly and she had breathed a sigh of relief. She would have stopped following the girl right then had it not been for the direction they had been heading in. Vastra couldn't help but wonder why Jenny would possibly be heading for the docks. Of all of the places in London she could have gone to clear her head it was neither the safest nor the most pleasant and quite frankly Vastra didn't like the thought of the girl going there with no one to protect her.

Suddenly Jenny stopped walking and Vastra grew even more confused as to what was going on. The girl's eyes were fixed on the group of men working away on the docks and the constricted feeling in Vastra's heart started up again. Was Jenny looking for someone? Surely not, Vastra had never heard the girl talk about anyone that she knew who worked loading the ships. Then again, there was no guarantee that Jenny told her everything – even the closest of relationships had some secrets. For some reason the Silurian was starting to feel uneasy. She couldn't explain it but she felt as though there was something going on that she should have known about. She didn't like the feeling at all.

At the back of Vastra's mind a question was fighting to get to the forefront of her thoughts but she was trying desperately to hold it back. She didn't want to even consider it. She didn't want to believe that it was possible. But still a part of her couldn't help but wonder. Was the baby really hers or was there someone else involved? The Silurian's eyes froze on the girl just a few feet ahead of her and it felt as though her heart stopped beating the second that the question had been let loose in her mind. Would Jenny really do that to her? It would explain why the girl had headed straight for the docks rather than anywhere else. It made sense that if Jenny did have a secret lover she would run to him the second that things got difficult between the two women, and of course she would have had no problems getting any man she wanted to fall in love with her; Jenny was so perfect that anyone would have been lucky to call her theirs. Vastra had thought that she had been that lucky person. Of course it had been too good to be true, she was angry that she hadn't seen it sooner.

As Jenny began to walk again Vastra allowed herself to speed up slightly. She would be damned if she let herself lose the girl amongst the throng of bodies before she could get a good look at the man who had taken the one thing that meant the most to her in the world. It all made sense: Jenny's conviction that Vastra didn't care, her fear at finding out that she was pregnant, her desperation to give the child a normal human name, even her constant need to be given space when Vastra got over protective. It all added up to the inevitable, Jenny had simply been using her. She should have seen it happening. The girl was from a poor home, she had never even been in a house like Vastra's let alone lived in one. Jenny must have been planning it all from the very first time she had found herself in the house on Paternoster Row. No wonder she had remained silent for so long that night, she had been busy figuring out how she could get as much money and material goods out of Vastra as she possibly could. What did it matter to her if the Silurian got hurt in the process? She probably never cared for her at all. As Vastra's mind filled with images of Jenny laughing at her the whole time and loving some ape behind her back she thought she would fall to pieces for the pain of it but when she caught sight of the girl beginning to disappear amongst a crowd of bodies she knew that she couldn't lose sight of her and she moved so fast that barely a second had passed as her fingers closed around Jenny's upper arm.

Jenny span fast as the hand closed around her arm, an expression of shock painted on her pretty features. "Vastra?" The Silurian's face was set in an emotionless expression and she regarded the girl evenly. Jenny was a convincing actress Vastra would give her that, she almost seemed pleased to see her. "What are you doin' 'ere love? Did you follow me?"

"I was worried. You did not look well when you left and I thought it best not to let you go alone. I was afraid that something would happen to you." Jenny frowned slightly and she tried to catch Vastra's eye as the woman avoided looking directly into her face. She could tell that something was wrong. Vastra's voice was cold and unfeeling and she seemed agitated.

"Are you..."

"Why did you come here Jenny?" Vastra was determined not to let the girl distract her with her act of innocence and naivety. Despite herself she still loved Jenny and she knew how easily the girl could manipulate her if she wanted to. Jenny's frown deepened at the question and she bit her lip as another pain shot through her stomach.

"I... I needed air... I told you..." The colour was draining from her face again and all of a sudden Jenny was finding it harder to breathe. The pain in her stomach wasn't stopping as it had done before and it took all of her energy to bite back a groan of pain that was trying to fight its way out into the open.

"But why here?" Vastra waited but there was no response. She tried her best to stop herself but after a few moments had passed she finally allowed herself to look down at the girl. "Jenny!"

Jenny was doubled over with her free arm clutching her stomach and her eyes squeezed shut. The pain was almost unbearable and, although she attempted to suppress the pained sounds that were pushing their way out a few small whimpers got the better of her and silent tears were beginning to roll down her cheeks. For a moment Vastra seemed to forget everything she had been thinking about the girl. The sight of Jenny in pain was enough to wipe any hurtful thoughts from her mind and in a second she had lifted the girl into her arms like a child.

"Jenny?" A fairly large, grubby man was pushing his way through the crowds of oblivious men who were still working but Vastra didn't see him. All she could see was Jenny, curled in her arms and burying her face in her neck. She needed to get Jenny home. She needed to find the Doctor. Somehow she wasn't sure how she could accomplish either task in any short space of time but as she held onto the girl as tightly as she could and she heard the quiet sobs and whimpers emanating from her she could have sworn she had heard a familiar whirring noise not too far away.


	29. Suspicion

**Note: **Hello my lovelies, sorry for the slight delay with this chapter. I know that you're all itching to know more but I'm afraid I'm having laptop troubles at the moment and it's delaying me a little. My laptop is currently off getting repaired so I'm having to share my mum's with her and my sister. Unfortunately that does mean that I don't have as much access time to write as I would like but I promise I'll try to keep getting updates to you as often as I can. Bear with me and hopefully I will have my own laptop back before too long so that I can (possibly) get back to the chapter-a-day schedule that I had going when I first started this fic. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and as always reviews are more than welcome – in fact, I encourage reviewing as I love to hear what you all think!

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

~.~.~.~.~.~

There was something bothering Vastra, the Doctor didn't know what it was but he could see that something wasn't right. As the Silurian tucked Jenny up in bed he could see in her every move that there was something on her mind that was getting to her. He had expected kisses, caresses and whispered words of comfort but Vastra displayed nothing of the sort – in fact, her bedside manner was uncomfortably distant for someone caring for their partner and although her facial expression was soft and every now and again she would look down at the girl's stomach Vastra didn't say a single word the whole time that she was tending to Jenny. The Doctor didn't like it, he had never seen Vastra withdraw herself from Jenny to such an extent and it bothered him so much that as the Silurian stepped back from the bed he pulled the woman out of the room by her arm and closed the door behind them.

"What's wrong?" The Doctor never had developed a knack for approaching sensitive issues lightly and Vastra tensed at his harsh tone, she had been dreading the inevitable interrogation.

"Nothing." She had hoped that the time lord would be too distracted by Jenny's health issues to notice her demeanour towards the girl but apparently she hadn't been quite as lucky as she had hoped. She wanted to turn and leave but she knew that the Doctor would never let her, not until he had been given an answer – he was ridiculously stubborn in that respect. Vastra could tell from the way that his eyes remained fixed on her own that he didn't believe her; it was as though he were attempting to probe her mind to find out the truth. With a slight hiss the Silurian rolled her eyes and turned her face away so that she was staring out of the window to their left. "Nothing that is any of your concern, old friend."

"Don't lie to me Vastra, something's happened between you two and whatever it is, it's not good." Another low hiss signalled the Silurian's annoyance but Vastra said nothing more. Her cerulean eyes were fixed on the figure pacing back and forth just outside the front door and somewhere deep inside the lizard woman had to suppress the urge to go down there and rip the man limb from limb. She had never seen him before but it wasn't difficult for her to figure out who he was - he was the man Jenny had been looking for down at the docks. "Vastra!" Reluctantly she forced herself to look back into the Doctor's face but she wished that she hadn't. As his eyes scanned her features something changed in the time lord's expression and without saying a word he pulled Vastra to him, hugging her tightly and patting her back in a reassuring manner. She must have looked as heartbroken as she felt; there was no other explanation that Vastra could think of as to why the Doctor was being so unusually intimate towards her. "What happened?"

"I... I think..." Vastra didn't want to say it out loud, thinking about it was one thing but to hear it said would make it far too real and the Silurian was scared that if she said it she wouldn't be able to control her emotions. The Doctor was still holding her close to him and she hesitantly allowed herself to relax into the hug a little. It was strangely comforting to know that he was there and that he cared but nothing would ever really heal the tear in her heart that Jenny had caused. "I think Jenny has been seeing someone else."

The Doctor's grip loosened around Vastra and slowly he pulled himself back from her. His brow was creased in a deep frown as the Silurian got a glimpse of his expression and she had to really focus on staying calm as she felt her heart breaking a little bit more. She had been right, saying it out loud only made matters worse. She only hoped that the Doctor would begin to speak again quickly if only to stop her from hearing the words over and over again in her head – _Jenny has been seeing someone else_.

"What do you mean 'seeing'? What is that?"

"I mean that there is a very good chance that that baby is not mine!" Vastra snapped. Her hands clenched into fists and her eyes seemed to emit sparks as she glared at the time lord. She simply didn't have the patience for the Doctor's immaturity and inability to understand the subtleties used within adult conversation at that moment in time. Vastra tried her best to remain as calm as she could but even beneath all of the anger the Doctor could see how hurt she was. She was trying to put up a dangerous facade but all he could see was her pain and he never thought he had seen her so vulnerable before in all of the time that they had known one another.

"Are you sure Vastra? Do you really believe she would do that to you?"

"Well why else would she have gone to that place after we had fought? How else would the man out there have known where to find her?" She pointed her finger out of the window and the Doctor peered at him through the pane of glass.

"He was by the docks?"

"He saw what happened and called her name. She's never mentioned anyone from that area to me before Doctor. Why would she keep him a secret if she didn't have something to hide?" It didn't seem quite right to the Doctor. If the man outside really was Jenny's lover and he had seen her in that much pain then why had he not even attempted to knock and gain entrance to see the girl? There must have been more to it than what Vastra believed she knew. Even so, to contradict the Silurian would only confuse matters further and so the Doctor merely nodded and looked back towards the door of the bedroom that Jenny and Vastra shared.

"You should go and sit with her. But please don't upset her, she's too weak to deal with anything too dramatic right now."

"I cannot go in there and pretend that nothing has happened Doctor!" Vastra's eyes widened at the mere suggestion and she crossed her arms over her chest. The Doctor sighed. Indignation didn't suit the Silurian, not to mention the fact that she clearly wanted nothing more than to protect the girl she loved. It seemed to the Doctor that he knew Vastra better than she knew herself and that she was only refusing his suggestion because she knew it would only hurt her more to see Jenny in pain.

"Vastra, you love her; don't let your pride get in the way of that. She needs you." With that he turned and headed for the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to the chap hanging around on your doorstep of course!"

~.~.~.~.~.~

When she re-entered the bedroom Vastra was relieved to find that Jenny was asleep. A part of her had been afraid that the girl would have been waiting for her, wanting to talk; but how could Vastra have any sort of conversation with Jenny that wouldn't make her want to ask why? It was the only thought in the Silurian's mind aside from her worries for Jenny and the baby – why would Jenny do it to her? Why would Jenny betray her like that when she had said that she loved her? To look at Jenny curled up under the blankets and sleeping soundly it was hard to believe that she could ever hurt anyone or anything. Of course, Vastra had seen the girl with a sword in her hands and knew better than to think that she was harmless but she had never considered herself to be in harm's way.

Slowly the Silurian moved over to Jenny's side of the bed and gently perched herself on the edge by the girl's side. As the bed shifted slightly under her weight Jenny stirred and a pale hand reached up, grasping at the air as though it was attempting to take hold of something invisible to the eye. For a moment Vastra hesitated. Was it her that Jenny was reaching for, or was it that man who had probably managed to find his way into their home by that point? Honestly she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to know the answer. Nevertheless, whoever Jenny was reaching for she would have to make do with the only other person in the room and so Vastra took hold of her warm little hand between both of her own and watched as the girl settled again immediately. Vastra could feel tears beginning to well in her eyes and her stomach tying itself in knots from the second her scales made contact with Jenny's skin. It felt so right to feel the girl's lovely warm flesh against her own cool, hard scales and yet it sickened the Silurian just to imagine anyone else so much as touching any part of her Jenny. A tear rolled down Vastra's cheek and she lifted Jenny's hand to her heart, holding it there to reassure herself that, for the time being, the girl was still there with her.

Jenny's eyelids flickered slightly as she felt her arm being lifted up and as she slowly opened her eyes she caught sight of a rather forlorn looking Vastra sitting over her. The girl's immediate instinct was to pull the woman into her arms and not let go until she no longer looked so sad but as she seemed to be lacking in energy Jenny decided to give herself a few minutes to reconnect with the world before alerting Vastra to her consciousness. As she lay there she studied the Silurian closely and she began to grow more and more concerned with every second that she watched her. Vastra's eyes were closed and her head tilted forwards slightly towards Jenny's hand which she was clutching tightly to her chest. Her lips were pressed together as though she were trying to hold back a sob and Jenny could see a few tears resting in the crevices between the scales on the Silurian's cheeks. The girl knew that Vastra worried about her but she had never seen her look so pained before and she couldn't help but wonder what had caused it. Jenny rolled onto her side as she began to feel a little stronger and very carefully she lifted her fingers to brush the tears from one of Vastra's cheeks.

As warm fingers unexpectedly brushed against cool scales Vastra jumped slightly and her eyes sprang open to find the girl in the bed peering up at her. Immediately the Silurian's mind went into overdrive considering all of the things that she wanted to say but couldn't before she finally found something that wouldn't upset Jenny too much.

"You are awake..." Thinking it over Vastra was almost entirely sure that she could have come up with something a little more intelligent to say but quite frankly her mind had gone entirely blank as those familiar big brown eyes looked up at her with concern swimming in their depths. Jenny nodded her assent but the worry painted on her features didn't appear to lessen. Her eyes seemed to delve into the depths of Vastra's soul and the Silurian was almost sure that the girl could see every worry and feeling of hurt that was festering in the depths of her mind at that very minute.

"Is somethin' the matter my darlin'?" A part of Jenny wondered if perhaps Vastra was still upset about their earlier fight but somehow she didn't think even that would make the Silurian seem as pained as she did at that moment. Another part of her wondered if something was wrong with the baby. The pains she had felt down by the docks had been pure agony but Jenny didn't think that anything had happened; she would have known if it had. With those possibilities eliminated Jenny searched her mind for any other explanation to her darling lizard's heartache but she couldn't come up with anything.

For a few moments Vastra stared down at Jenny blankly. Her lips moved as though she was intending to speak but nothing seemed to be coming out. What could she say? The Doctor had told her not to upset the girl but what good would it do not to discuss the matter. Vastra needed to know the truth, the uncertainty of it all was killing her. Surely Jenny was strong enough to simply discuss the matter so long as the Silurian didn't allow herself to get too worked up. The real question was whether or not Vastra could keep her temper at bay when she was so hurt by the simple possibility of what Jenny may have done. Realising that she probably would not have the ability to remain calm Vastra opted merely to shake her head. She couldn't risk starting an argument if it would put either Jenny or the baby in distress.

As the Silurian shook her head slowly Jenny felt her heart sink. She knew that Vastra was lying to her, how could she not be when Jenny had seen the state that she was in? She had thought that their relationship was better than that. Lies and secrets were things that other people allowed to ruin their relationships; she and Vastra had never been like that. They never kept anything from one another, that was why their relationship had always been so strong – at least, that was what Jenny had thought.

"Vastra, why won't you tell me? I can see you've been cryin'... why are you lyin' to me?" The girl's voice shook a little and Vastra could feel herself wanting to give in. She hated seeing Jenny so weak and then by lying to her she was only making it worse. Despite all or the hurt and pain that the girl had made her feel Vastra still couldn't stand to see it the other way around.

"We can discuss it later. It does not matter now."

"It matters to me!"

"Please, let's not fight again." Vastra let go of Jenny's hand and lifted her fingers to wipe the tears from her own cheeks. Any issues of the child's parentage could wait. Vastra refused to discuss the matter any further.

For a short while the two women simply remained where they were in complete silence. Vastra avoided Jenny's eye as best she could but the girl wouldn't look away from her. The Silurian was sure Jenny knew that there was something wrong; it was always easy to tell with the girl who insisted on fixating on any problems until they were solved. It was an utterly ridiculous way of dealing with any problematic situation in Vastra's opinion and yet she also loved that Jenny cared enough about solving their issues to put so much energy and time into it.

"You seemed angry with me down by the docks... was it because o' what I said?" Jenny tried to slip a hand into one of Vastra's own but the Silurian didn't reciprocate; she didn't move her hand away as such but she also made no attempt to hold onto Jenny's. The girl sighed and continued to observe the other woman closely. "I really didn't mean it love... I wasn't thinkin'. I never meant to 'urt you..."

"But you did." The words were sharp and short and Vastra felt her claws digging into her own leg as she tried her hardest not to lose her temper. She could see the danger in starting the conversation that Jenny apparently wanted to have, it would be only too easy for Vastra to say something that she may regret. The Silurian kept her eyes fixed on her own lap to try and discourage herself – to look at Jenny or the curve of her stomach would only push her further towards confronting the girl and she couldn't let herself do that.

"I know, an' I'm sorry. I know you care about us Vastra. Can we please forget I ever said it?"

"It is not what you said that hurt me though Jenny, it is why. Why would you question how much I care when you know that I would do anything for you?" Tears were brimming in Vastra's eyes once more but she would not let herself cry. She couldn't keep giving in to it as she had been doing; it was a weakness and one that she wanted to stop. A part of the Silurian wished that she had never learned what real love felt like - it just seemed to hurt too much.

"I told you, I was upset... I didn't think before I started speakin'." Vastra's eyes shot up to look at the girl properly for the first time. She was about to fight back but something stopped her.

"Jenny..." The Silurian could smell blood on the air, lots of it. It was all around them, filling the room and sending Vastra a little dizzy with the sheer density of it. Something was wrong.

~.~.~.~.~.~

As the door to 13 Paternoster row swung open the man who had been pacing before it gave a start. He had been trying to work up the courage to knock for a good hour but for a number of reasons he had simply been unable to do it. What would the inhabitants think of a grubby old working man appearing on their doorstep asking after the maid of the house? How could he explain his knowing the address at which he could find Jenny or the reason that he needed to see her at all? His most predominant question, however, had nothing to do with any of the house's inhabitants but one. How could he ever explain to Jenny why he had had to come even after everything that had happened the last time that they spoke?

"Oi, you. Come here." He had just been about to turn and leave when a man stood in the doorway called him back. For a moment he hesitated. Jenny had never mentioned a man before, only herself and her mistress. Mr Flint stiffened a little at the thought of the woman but he forced himself to overlook it. He had seen them both down by the docks, his daughter and the lady she served. It had looked as though they were arguing but the second that Jenny had keeled over the other woman had lifted her into her arms as though she were weightless and disappeared off into the crowd of working men. He couldn't understand how any woman could be so strong but he consoled himself with the hope that he may get a chance to ask now that one of the inhabitants of the dwelling had noticed his presence.

The man in the doorway beckoned Mr Flint over encouragingly and eventually he began to plod towards the open door of the house. He felt ridiculous even standing in such a high class part of London. His grubby work clothes made him stick out like a sore thumb and he knew full well that the second he began to speak it would become even clearer to anyone within earshot that he should not have been there at all.

"Sorry to int'rupt s'r," he mumbled as he approached the doorway "I were jus' wond'rin'..."

"How Jenny is, yes, we know." The Doctor looked the man over carefully. Surely Vastra couldn't really believe that Jenny had been going behind her back with the man that now stood before him. He may not have known much about the girl's preferences in companionship but the Doctor was sure that even if Jenny was seeing someone behind the Silurian's back she would have much higher standards than she was being credited with. The man was strongly built with greying dark hair on both his head and face. The Doctor would have guessed that he was in his mid to late fifties although he could have been younger taking his class and background into consideration (it wouldn't have been the first time that a life of hardship had aged a person). His clothes were grubby and he stank of a mixture of sweat and fish but the Doctor put both down to his profession and the knowledge that the man had come straight from the Docks on seeing what had happened with Jenny. "Why don't you come in, Mr..."

"Flint. John Flint, s'r." As the Doctor stepped back John was a little hesitant to enter. He looked down at himself for a moment, scrutinising every stain on his clothing, and frowned to himself. People like him were never allowed entrance to houses in the upper class areas, particularly by the front door. Still, knowing he was better off doing as he was bid John stepped inside the house just enough for the Doctor to close the door behind him and turn to look at their guest face on.

"I'm the Doctor; Jenny's a friend of mine." He held out his hand but John made no move to take it. He didn't want to be seen as too forward and so he simply nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Pleasure s'r."

"Less of the 'sir', it's the Doctor. Just the Doctor." John raised an eyebrow but he didn't question the strange gentleman's motives for being so friendly. As long as he would tell him if his daughter was okay that was all that he cared about. "So, how is it that you know our Jenny then?" For a moment John didn't know what to say. Of course, he hadn't expected Jenny to have told anyone in her new home about her family but he had at least expected them to have made the assumption on seeing him and hearing his name – why else would he have been there if not out of the unconditional love of a father?

"Jenny's my lil' lass... been so since the day she were born." The Doctor's eyes immediately widened. Of course, how had he not guessed? A man of that age with such a concern for the girl's wellbeing, he couldn't have been anyone but her father. A grin spread over his face and he took hold of the man's hand and shook it enthusiastically as John simply stared at him in surprise.

"Oh, it's a pleasure Mr Flint, a real pleasure to meet you. You have a lovely daughter, has anyone ever told you that?" John didn't respond. Actually, he wasn't entirely sure that anyone had ever told him that Jenny was lovely before but somehow it was nice to hear it. However, he still wasn't sure about the Doctor. Who was he, and how had he come to know his daughter so well? The Doctor didn't seem to notice that he still hadn't received an answer to his question. When he finally released Jenny's father's hand he led the man through to the sitting room where he indicated for John to sit but the man was far too self conscious to take a seat.

"So, Jenny... 'ow is th' lass? She didn't look too good las' I saw of 'er..." John was trying not to seem too concerned but honestly he was entirely terrified. One minute he had caught sight of his daughter and her veiled mistress, the next the girl had all but collapsed into the other woman's arms and the pair had disappeared from sight. Just the thought that something could be wrong with his daughter had had John running from one end of London to the other until he found himself right where he was with the Doctor watching him closely.

"She's okay, she won't be up and about for a while yet..."

"Wha'? Why no'?"

"Well, probably safer for her to rest until the baby comes. She'll be fine though."

"Baby?!" John's eyes nearly tripled in size they had widened so much and for a minute he wasn't sure if he had been hearing things or not. As the Doctor tensed up a little, however, the other man realised that he really had heard right. "Bu'... bu' tha' can't be right... Jenny's a... a..."

"Lesbian. Yes, I know. It's complicated. You should probably be discussing this with her and Vastra." The Doctor couldn't help but notice how John's eyes darkened at the mention of the Silurian's name and the puzzle that had been forming in his mind began to slot itself together. The time lord had wondered why Vastra hadn't known that the man outside her house was Jenny's father and he had also wondered why Mr Flint hadn't simply knocked on arriving at the house; clearly there were some underlying tensions concerning Jenny's relationship with another woman that were making their situation far more difficult than it had to be. "Mr Flint, if you don't mind me asking how much do you actually know about Vastra and her relationship with your daughter?"

"No' a lot..."

"But what specifically do you know."

"Jenny told us she an' 'er mistress were close, tha' they understood each other. She said the woman looked af'er 'er an' tha' she were good to 'er. I could tell the lass loved 'er bu' 'er mother couldn' understan' tha' an' I couldn' jus' turn against the woman I married... we aint seen Jenny since then. Mary won't see 'er again, knowin' wha' she is... I jus' want my lil lass to be 'appy."

"I see." Somehow the Doctor had hoped that Jenny's father would have been told a little more about his own daughter's situation. John Flint had managed to walk into the middle of one of the most complicated situations possible and, as far as the Doctor could tell, he had no idea of just how complicated it really was. Vastra and Jenny's lives would have been soap opera gold had they been anywhere else but in Victorian London – a crime fighting, inter-species, lesbian couple who accidentally end up expecting a child in probably the worst place possible in all of space and time. Quite frankly the Doctor thought he could travel a million years into the future, sell the story to a media franchise and make a fortune (if he cared about money he could anyway).

As the realisation that Jenny's father had probably picked the worst possible time to want to see his daughter dawned on the Doctor he began to struggle with himself, attempting to come up with some clever way of getting rid of the man. He hadn't wanted to tell Vastra in case she panicked but he was almost entirely certain that the pains Jenny had been experiencing before had been contractions. The baby was not going to wait around forever and the last thing they needed was a mixed species baby being brought into the world while it's entirely oblivious Victorian grandfather watched from the sidelines. No, the Doctor needed to get rid of him.

"Listen, John – may I call you John? – John, Jenny will be fine, we've got everything under control. Vastra's upstairs sitting with her as we speak and..." Despite the Doctor's attempts at speeding up his explanation as to why Jenny's father had to leave, he simply hadn't been quick enough. He never even got the chance to get onto the third sentence before Vastra's voice echoed down the stairs and it was like nothing the Doctor had ever heard before. Under normal circumstances Vastra was always calm and collected, she wasn't the sort to lose her composure, but the voice that called to the Doctor was broken and terrified. He knew exactly what was happening. His time was up. "Don't follow me" he said sternly and in a second he was mounting the staircase and leaping up the steps at least three at a time.

"Doctor! We need you now!"


	30. Birth

Vastra had wanted to stay with Jenny, really she had, but the smell of blood had been too much. The Silurian had felt broken as she pulled herself out of the room. Jenny had been crying and clinging onto her hand so tightly. _Please don't go_. The sound of the girl's voice pleading with her kept circling around her mind and Vastra wished with all of her heart that she could go back into the room without being a risk to everyone in it, but she couldn't. Damn it! Damn her species and their ridiculous feeding habits! If it hadn't been for that she could have been in there holding Jenny's hand, kissing her head and reassuring her that everything would be okay. Instead she found herself pacing back and forth outside the bedroom door, desperately wishing that she could stop hearing her darling girl's cries and groans of pain.

Somehow it seemed to have slipped the Silurian's mind that she was supposed to be angry with Jenny. Every thought of their argument and the docks and the man who the Doctor had been speaking to seemed to have been wiped clean from her memory as panic had set in. It wasn't until Vastra had slid down the wall opposite the bedroom door and was curled on the floor with her head in her hands that she began to recall any of it. She heard heavy footsteps to her right coming from the staircase and slowly she lifted her eyes until she caught sight of the worker from the docks.

As John Flint rounded the corner in pursuit of the Doctor he had not been expecting the sight that faced him and he had to double take to assure himself that he wasn't seeing things. There was a woman curled on the floor with her back pressed against the wall but she was unlike any woman that he had ever seen before. Her skin appeared to be cracked all over and there was nothing natural about the shade of green that tinted it. In place of hair her head seemed to extend further than and normal skull would and as she looked up at him he noticed how her eyes were an unearthly and yet rather beautiful shade of blue. He wondered who she was... what she was. It wasn't until he looked at her and what she was wearing a little more closely that he began to understand what was going on. He recognised her from before when he had witnessed his daughter's collapse. The woman was Jenny's mistress, Madame Vastra.

The man took a step back as Vastra regarded him closely but no words were issued from his lips. The Silurian could sense the scent of fear on the air and she simply couldn't suppress a snort of contempt. He clearly had no idea what was going on. His expression was blank but he was definitely uncomfortable. She wondered if he knew that the pained noise emanating from the bedroom were the sounds of Jenny having the child. She wondered if he even knew who she was or about the relationship between herself and Jenny. The one thing she didn't have to wonder about, however, was why he was afraid. Apes were all the same, they took one look at her and immediately began to fear for their lives – well, all but Jenny.

If Vastra had been faced with the man only ten minutes previously she would have ripped him apart without so much as a word but for some reason she simply couldn't do it as she looked upon him then. Her expression was just aggressive enough to warn him not to upset her but she knew in her heart that she wouldn't do anything to him. It wasn't his fault if Jenny didn't love her as she had said she had, and besides, Vastra wasn't entirely sure what she believed about the situation with Jenny and herself any longer. The girl had seemed so genuine when they had been speaking before and suddenly Vastra had found that she was no longer sure what she should believe. She didn't want to think that Jenny would lie to her or hurt her. The girl had even called her out on her own avoidance of the truth; surely it would have been hypocritical of her to do so had she been lying herself. But still Vastra was scared. No, she was terrified. It wasn't that she didn't trust Jenny; there was something else that was fuelling her fears. There was something else that was making her question whether or not the girl really did love her or whether the child that she was bringing into the world at that moment was hers or not. A part of Vastra buried deep down still didn't believe that Jenny could truly love her even after everything that they had been through together.

"What are you doing here?" The Silurian had to know if her fears about the man were true. She couldn't stand the uncertainty any longer it was driving her to the point of insanity.

For a moment John didn't reply. He could still barely believe what he was seeing. This was the woman that his daughter had spoken of in such an endearing way. The creature before him was the woman that Jenny had allowed herself to be ousted from her own family for. This was the woman that his beautiful, kind hearted, special little girl had fallen in love with. It just didn't seem real to him. He had always known that Jenny was different and that she saw people differently to most but this really was something else. Did she not see what he saw? How could a woman who looked as this Madame Vastra did be anything but a monster?

"I needed t' know tha' my Jenny were okay."

"Does she sound okay to you?!" Vastra hadn't meant to be so harsh but something inside of her had snapped. Perhaps it was listening to Jenny in so much pain and being unable to help her that had done it. She felt guilty for leaving her. She felt worse knowing that it may not even be her child that the girl was giving birth to. The man had taken another step back and Vastra had to force herself to take a few deep breaths so as to keep her temper in check; she knew that getting angry would benefit no one, least of all Jenny. "Who are you?"

"John Flint. 'er father." For a moment silence fell between the two. Vastra was staring at the man almost in disbelief but flicking her tongue out to sense the air she was quite sure that he was telling the truth. Was he the reason that Jenny had been down by the docks? Had Vastra been thinking badly of her darling girl while all the time Jenny was just seeking comfort from her father? The Silurian felt sick to her stomach and in that moment she began to hate herself a little. "I take it from th' state o' you tha' you're 'er mistress... 'er..." Vastra nodded. She didn't need him to clarify; Jenny had told her enough about her last conversation with her family to know what he was going to say.

As both Jenny's father and lover fell silent once more an almost strangled sound came from inside the room and Vastra visibly flinched. She turned away from John and began pacing again, her fingers fidgeting nervously with the lace on the bodice of her dress and her eyes downcast. The woman was mumbling under her breath in a language that John didn't understand and he wondered what she was saying. He coughed to try and get her attention but Vastra didn't even look up. He hadn't imagined that she could care so much. To look at the woman he would have thought her to be one for logic and fact over emotion but apparently he had been wrong.

"You okay?" It was almost an illegible mumble but Vastra managed to make it out well enough. She stopped pacing for a moment but didn't look up.

"My heart is breaking just hearing her in pain but there is nothing I can do for her."

"Why aint you in there?"

"Too much blood." For a moment the main raised his eyebrow in surprise. The creature didn't seem the sort to be squeamish about blood but then the thought dawned on him. If this woman was not human (which he supposed she must not be considering her appearance) then perhaps her feeding habits differed from those of humans. The thought made him tense up and Vastra sighed. Apparently Jenny had not got her exceptional compassion from either of her parents if this man was the one who was more accepting. "You think I am a monster."

"I didn' say..."

"You did not have to." The Silurian took a step closer and John immediately sprang back away from her. A sad smile passed over Vastra's features and she shook her head softly. She didn't know what she had expected but of course the man feared her. There was a reason she was forced to cover herself in public and pretend that she had a skin condition – Victorians simply were not ready to accept the existence of other life forms or species'. "I am going to tell you something Mr Flint, and I would like you to pay very close attention when I do. I understand that you are afraid of me and that I make you uncomfortable. I cannot judge you for that. Your kind are not yet developed enough to understand a species such as my own who live off of blood and raw meat and look and act in different ways to you. It is only natural for you to be afraid." For a moment Vastra paused and attempted to take another step towards the man. It made her smile that he didn't back away but he was still giving her a wary look. "I know that I am not something that you are capable of understanding but I can tell you something that is exactly the same in me as it would be in any human. I feel love just as you do. Mr Flint, I love your daughter with all of my heart and hearing her in pain is tearing me apart but I know that she will be okay, whether I am there or not. I would never have left her side if I did not believe it to be best for her."

John was frozen by shock as he observed the lizard woman. He had never expected such compassion and intelligence to come from her. A part of him was beginning to wonder if he may have allowed himself to judge Vastra too quickly, after all there had to be something more to the woman for Jenny to have fallen so deeply in love with her. Vastra clearly loved the girl too and, quite frankly, John could hardly refer to the woman as a monster when she had removed herself from his daughter's side purely out of fear that she wouldn't have been able to control herself. She had placed the girl's safety before her own peace of mind despite the fact that it was clearly making her more than a little anxious – no monster would have done that.

A long silence passed between the two before anything more was said. Vastra continued to pace back and forth while John simply stared at the bedroom door in a mixture of confusion and horror. Without having to so much as look at him Vastra could tell that the sounds coming from in there were bothering him. Victorian men were not accustomed to being in such close proximity to women giving birth and the Silurian had a sneaking suspicion that it was not what Jenny's father had been expecting of it at all.

"'ow d'ya fink she's doin' in there?" John finally broke the silence between them and Vastra looked up at him as she snapped out of her own thoughts. A slight fog seemed to have glazed over her eyes but as she heard the man's voice it quickly began to dissipate and she allowed herself to smile ever so slightly.

"I am sure she is doing wonderfully. She is getting tired though; I should imagine that she just wants it to be over."

"'ow can you tell tha' she's tired?" A frown creased the man's brow and he looked back at the door with a perplexed expression on his face. Every groan and scream sounded the same to him. All he knew was that they meant that his little girl was in pain.

"Listen to her breathing. Before she was panting quite heavily but now she does not have the strength to do so, so her breaths are shallower. Jenny's breathing always becomes shallow when she is tired anyway but that... well, it is simply obvious to me." A fond smile graced the Silurian's lips and she too looked towards the bedroom door, only there was no confusion on her face. Everything had gone quiet and for a moment Vastra's heart stopped as she began to worry that something had gone wrong – but then she heard the baby crying.

~.~.~.~.~.~

As the bedroom door swung open Vastra immediately started towards the room and only stopped when she came face to face with the Doctor stood directly in the centre of the doorway. She had been expecting the time lord to put on a poker face to worry her (he enjoyed doing that) but she was surprised to find as her eyes scanned his features that he had that dorky grin of his plastered on his face in a way that was almost disturbing. On seeing her he immediately hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear, "you have a little girl."

A little girl. They had a little baby daughter. Vastra's heart was beating at a mile a minute and her mind was all over the place. She wanted to go to Jenny but the Doctor was still holding her tightly and didn't seem to be planning on letting go if he could help it. A couple of times Vastra tried to extract herself from the time lord's grip but to no avail and it wasn't until she managed to manoeuvre his abnormally large head out of the way that she caught sight of her darling girl.

It looked as though the Doctor must have been doing a little cleaning up in the time it had taken him to call her back in because the bed in which Jenny was sat was once again made up to the girl's perfect standards. There wasn't a single hint of blood in sight and, although Vastra had no idea how the Doctor had done it she was thankful to not have to worry about controlling her primal urges. Jenny herself was sat on her side of the bed, propped up against an extremely comfortable looking pile of pillows with the sheets neatly laid over her and what Vastra could only assume was their blanket clad daughter resting against her chest. As the Silurian scanned them both over with her eyes to reassure herself that everything was okay she couldn't miss the look of exhaustion in the girl she loved. To look at Jenny momentarily it would have been easy to assume that it had been weeks since she had had the child – she sat fairly straight and her hair was tied neatly back off of her face so that she could smile down at the baby in her arms happily with nothing obstructing her view of her first child; however Vastra couldn't miss the hints of weariness in the girl. Jenny was pale, both from blood loss and exhaustion. She was breathing incredibly slowly and while her eyes were fixed on the baby in her arms the Silurian could see how every now and then they would slip out of focus slightly. Aside from the girl's tiredness, however, everything else seemed to be perfect.

"Doctor..." Trying to pull away from the time lord once more Vastra began to lose her patience and she pried his arms away from her as she hissed his name. The Doctor blushed slightly as he realised that he had probably been hugging the Silurian for a bit longer than was necessary and he immediately stepped aside, chuckling to himself slightly.

"Sorry, got a bit lost in the moment..." Vastra didn't hear him. As the Doctor began to speak she had already slipped past him and was making her way over to the bed. Reaching Jenny's side the woman leant down and pressed a kiss to her darling girl's head, smiling ever so slightly as she pulled back and perched herself on the edge of the bed.

"I am so sorry my love, I know you wanted me here but I just..."

"The blood. I know." Jenny's voice was soft but light and she gently slipped her free hand into the Silurian's. "I'm aware I was a little irrational but really you can 'ardly blame me, I was about to give birth for 'eavens' sake." She giggled a little and her eyes slowly wondered back to the little bundle in her arms. "She was worth it..." Vastra felt the girl's grip tighten on her fingers and she allowed her own gaze to follow the path Jenny's had taken to the child. A tiny pink face poked out from within the folds of the soft white blanket wrapped around the baby. Her eyes were closed and her breathing steady but still Vastra felt uncomfortable. The child looked human. 100% human. There was not a single scale on her, nor an alteration in the colour of her skin. She was pink and soft, with soft dark curls just on the top of her head and two little shell-like ears that matched her mother's. Vastra felt as though her heart was shattering all over again – what had Jenny done? "Isn't she beautiful?"

"She's certainly very human." Vastra's voice was cold and sharp and as she said it she withdrew her hand from Jenny's grip and stood up. The girl's eyes flicked up to look at her but Vastra wouldn't remove her own gaze from the child. It was as though her whole world was falling apart again. She had just started to think that maybe she had been wrong, that Jenny would never do that to her. The child's appearance suggested otherwise.

Jenny didn't understand what was going on. Vastra's mood along with her own had been all over the place for a short while but why was she acting so coldly towards the baby? She was her daughter – their daughter. Admittedly the baby looked more human than Jenny had been expecting but that couldn't be helped, surely Vastra could see that.

"Well, I know she looks 'uman but 'er genetics aren't."

"Are they not?" Finally Vastra looked back at the girl and Jenny immediately understood what the other woman was thinking. Tears welled in the girl's eyes and she absentmindedly held her baby closer to her chest. The child stirred, sensing her mother's discomfort, and her little eyes fluttered open. The baby didn't cry, didn't even make a sound, she just stared up at Vastra with those little bright blue orbs that made the Silurian's heart stop. They were her eyes, only not, staring up at her in intrigue. "I... I..."

"'ow could you?" Jenny's voice broke and the tears that had been gathering in her eyes immediately began to seep from the corners and roll down her cheeks. "'ow could you think that I'd be with anyone behind your back?! 'ow could you think that of me?!" Vastra couldn't find her words, she just kept stuttering, trying to find some way to express how sorry she was. The tears were practically streaming down the girl's cheeks as the Silurian continued to stutter and for the first time since opening her eyes the baby seemed to notice that her mother was upset. Her head tilted away from Vastra to face Jenny and her tongue (much like Vastra's) gently flicked out and tried to stop the flow of tears from her mother's eyes. At the sight of it Vastra seemed to lose her ability to speak altogether, she just stared at the child and then at Jenny.

"Jenny, I..."

"No! No, don't you dare! Don't you dare try an' get out o' this with all your excuses an' your reasonin'."

"But I..."

"I don't want to 'ear it Vastra! Just... get out." Vastra didn't move. Jenny had managed to force herself to stop crying for her daughter's sake but she continued to glare at the other woman. She couldn't believe that Vastra had thought what she had even for a second and a part of Jenny wished that she had the energy to get up from her bed and hit her. She loved Vastra, she loved her with all of her heart and the woman had actually thought that she would betray her. Jenny couldn't even bare to look at the Silurian but still she did. She glared until finally Vastra broke and within seconds she had practically thrown the Doctor and Jenny's father to the ground as she rushed from the room.


	31. Tears in the Night

"Doctor, please. You must make her speak to me. You must make her give me the chance to..."

"I can't Vastra. Come on, you know Jenny better than anyone, do you really think she'd listen to me telling her she needs to let you talk to her?" Vastra growled low in the back of her throat and balled her hands into fists, trying desperately hard not to lash out at her friend in her state of anger. Why could he not just do as she asked? Why did he have to be so logical and make everything so much more difficult for her? Of course, the Silurian knew the answer to both questions all too well. He was right. It didn't matter how much Vastra pleaded with the girl to hear her out or sent others to plead on her behalf, Jenny was not going to listen until she was ready. It had been a full week since the baby had been born and the girl was still refusing to talk to Vastra. It was practically driving the Silurian to the edge of insanity.

"All I am asking is that you try!" Vastra slammed her hands down on the edge of the TARDIS consol and the Doctor jumped back slightly in shock. He knew that she was upset but it always took him by surprise when the Silurian lost her composure. Usually Vastra was very good at concealing her emotions but it had become clear to the Doctor in the time that he had spent with her and Jenny that the girl was the one thing that could break through Vastra's icy mask to release her true feelings. In some ways he knew it was a good thing that the woman was beginning to connect with her own emotions more but he hated seeing his friend in so much pain. At times he wished that Vastra could go back to bottling it all up so that he wouldn't have to witness the distress that hurting Jenny had brought on her.

"Listen, Vastra you know that she's stubborn..."

"I am aware. There is nothing you can tell me about the girl that I love that I do not already know!" The Doctor sighed and shook his head as he observed the Silurian closely. Her temper was even shorter than normal; it would only make it more difficult for him to reason with her.

"I wasn't finished. You know that she's stubborn, but quite frankly I think that the only person who will ever be able to get through to her is you." Vastra parted her lips to protest but the Doctor immediately put his hand over her mouth to shut her up. He could see the annoyance in her eyes but he ignored it – he wouldn't let her interrupt again until he had finished saying what he needed to say. "I know that you've tried already Vastra, you don't have to tell me that. But the thing with humans is that you have to keep trying. You hurt her, and I know that you know that, but if you keep talking to her she will begin to forgive you eventually." He paused for a minute. In the past week the Doctor had been keeping a close eye on the two women, listening to Vastra as she tried to apologise to Jenny as best she could, but it had struck him as he listened that not once had the Silurian tried to explain why she had doubted the girl. She had apologised over and over again but he had never heard a single word of an explanation. It made him wonder why. Vastra was regarding him over the hand that he still had covering her lips and a frown etched itself on her face as she tried to figure out why he had stopped talking. The time lord had that look in his eyes, the one that indicated that he was considering how best to handle a situation, and Vastra began to worry about what he could possibly be thinking about saying to her. Slowly he let his hand move from her lips to her shoulder and, trying to choose his words carefully, he pointed out, "you know she might forgive you a bit faster if you just explain to her..."

"No." Immediately Vastra turned her back on the Doctor and headed for the TARDIS door, if he was not going to help her in any way then she did not see the point in hanging around. She had just reached the door and was about to push it open when the time lord called after her.

"Why?" For a moment she froze. The feeling of self-loathing that Vastra had become far too used to in the past week began to wash over her once more and she tried to focus her mind on anything else that she could. She didn't want to have to admit her weakness to the Doctor. She didn't want him or anyone else to know that it was not Jenny that she had doubted but herself. It was no wonder that the Silurian had had doubts about Jenny's faithfulness when she didn't believe that she was good enough for the girl in the first place. No matter how hard she tried she could not make herself ignore the thoughts and feelings rushing through her mind. She tried to pull the door open to get away but it wouldn't budge and she span to glare at the Doctor angrily.

"Let me out! Let me out right now!"

"Not until you've told me why you won't be honest with Jenny. You're my friend Vastra; I can't keep watching you in so much pain."

"I cannot tell her. I will not. She sees me as the strength in her life Doctor; I will not take that from her by sharing my personal insecurities with her." For a moment the Doctor looked mildly surprised. It wasn't that he didn't know that Vastra was capable of feeling insecure it was simply that he had never imagined her to be the type. The Silurian had always seemed so sure of herself despite her uncertainties concerning the world around her and it was strange for him to consider that perhaps she wasn't as self assured as she liked to make out.

"But..."

"I said no. I will find another way. Now, please, I would like to leave." She heard the lock click open behind her and immediately Vastra turned and made her way out through the drawing room and up to the guest bedroom that she had been using since Jenny had begun to shut her out.

It was late at night by the time Vastra finally made it back up to the room and she noticed as she stepped over the threshold that the sun had long since disappeared behind the roof tops of the city. Having no wish to be reminded of the rest of the world at that moment in time the Silurian rushed over to the window and roughly pulled the curtains shut. The sound of fabric ripping filled the air around her and as one of the curtains fell down, still in her hand, she cursed loudly in her native tongue. Apparently the world was working against Vastra to make her life as difficult as possible and it was beginning to push her too far. True, she had brought Jenny's anger on herself, but should she really be punished for loving the girl too much and for being scared that she didn't feel the same?

As she turned to look over to the bed Vastra felt her heart sink in her chest. At one time Vastra had greatly disliked the thought of sleeping with anyone else in the same room as her but it wasn't until Jenny had practically locked her out of their shared bedroom that she realised just how much she had become accustomed to the warmth and comfort that the girl brought to her during the night. The bedroom that Vastra had moved to always seemed so lonely. Having never thought she would use the room the Silurian had neglected to furnish it properly when she first moved into the house and so the walls were bare and the decorations were simple. It made Vastra feel even worse about her whole situation. She missed her bed and her room. She missed feeling as though she were at home and safe, surrounded by familiar things. Mostly, however, she simply missed Jenny. Vastra missed the way that the girl would gently stroke her arms when she pulled her close in the night and how the familiar scent of Jenny's hair and skin would invade her senses as she nuzzled her face into the crook of the girl's neck. She missed hearing the steady breathing coming from her darling girl's sleeping form and the way that often Jenny would begin to wriggle when she was having a bad dream and wouldn't stop until she felt Vastra's arms around her once more. The Silurian missed the late night kisses and how sometimes when she couldn't sleep she would study every inch of Jenny from head to toe just adoring everything about her until the girl would wake and berate her for not getting enough rest. Vastra didn't know how many more nights she could take alone in the empty room knowing that Jenny and their daughter were only on the other side of the hallway. Still, knowing that she had no choice, Vastra begrudgingly changed and slid in between the cold sheets of the bed ready for yet another sleepless night.

~.~.~.~.~.~

The baby very rarely cried. Apart from when she was first born Vastra was sure that she could only pinpoint four or five other occasions on which she had heard even the smallest sniffle from the child and at first she had worried about it. She remembered how the Doctor had told her before the baby was born that human infants usually spent a lot of their time crying in order to get their parents attention but it seemed that communication was another Silurian quality that Jenny and Vastra's child had inherited from her mother. Silurian hatchlings were intelligent from the day they took their first breath and in the case of full Silurian children they could walk, talk and communicate coherently (if a little abnormally) from the day they were hatched. From that point onward they only got smarter. Vastra and Jenny's baby was not quite so advanced; she didn't have the ability to walk or talk, however she clearly still possessed exceptional levels of intelligence. The child didn't need to cry to communicate, instead she had taught herself signals to give for anything that she wanted by the day after she was born and she had learned to get the attention of adults by clapping her hands three times by half way through her first day of life. It was because of this that, as Vastra lay in bed in the early hours of the morning staring out of the window where she had ripped the curtain away, she was shocked to hear soft whimpers coming from across the hallway.

Confused, the Silurian pulled back the sheets and slid out of bed, only flinching slightly at the coldness of the floor under her bare feet. She took a small blanket that hung over the back of a chair by the door and wrapped it around herself for warmth before carefully slipping out of her room and ensuring to close the door as quietly as she possibly could behind her.

Turning around slowly the Silurian's eyes fell on the door to the other bedroom and she took a deep breath. Jenny wouldn't want her to enter. Each time that Vastra had tried to pass the threshold in the past week she had been met with a cold look from the girl and two simple words – get out. Each time she had retreated to the outside of the room and curled herself up by the door, apologising over and over again and praying that Jenny was listening despite her refusal to look at her. What made it worse was that Vastra hadn't even been allowed to see her daughter since the day she was born. She hadn't been allowed to hold her or enjoy her scent and if Jenny had named the child then Vastra had not been told which name she had decided on (although, the Silurian could make an educated guess).

Still, despite knowing that she would most likely be turned away Vastra stayed light on her feet and hurried across the hall to the door of the room from which the sniffles and sobs were emitting. Stood before the door the sound of the crying had become a little clearer and all of a sudden Vastra wasn't so sure that it was the baby at all. Carefully she leant against the door, trying not to alert Jenny to her presence, and she pressed the side of her head to the wood to try and hear a little better. The crying continued undisturbed and as she listened the Silurian became sure – the crying was coming from Jenny. Vastra's heart nearly broke right there and then as she listened and she almost went straight to the girl's side to hold her but stopped herself just in time. Jenny would not react well if she just burst into the room and the lizard woman knew that. It didn't matter if Vastra needed to dry the girl's tears for her own peace of mind, what really mattered was that Jenny saw that Vastra was respecting her space while still showing that she cared. So, a little awkwardly, she lifted her hand and knocked.

Behind the door the sound of the crying stopped instantly and for a minute Vastra was left to stand, pressed up against the wood of the door, in complete silence. She wondered what Jenny was thinking; did she know who stood just outside her door? As the silence continued Vastra grew impatient and, her desperation to check on the girl growing too great, she carefully pushed the door open and slipped into the room. The door clicked shut behind the Silurian's back and she turned her attention towards the bed. The fire still burned in the grate as it always did and by its light Vastra could just make out the slight bump of Jenny's body curled up under the sheets. She was still and silent, presumably pretending to be asleep, but the Silurian knew that she wasn't.

"Jenny?" The girl didn't move or respond but Vastra took a few uncertain steps forwards. It wasn't until she reached the end of the bed that she realised what was different this time in comparison with every other time that she had entered the room in the past week – Jenny was not on her side of the bed. Each day when Vastra had attempted to enter the room Jenny had always been sat, propped up against pillows, on her own side of the bed while the Silurian's side remained untouched. That night, however, it was Jenny's side that appeared deserted; although the sheets were ruffled and the pillows flattened by weight the girl was curled into the pillows on the wrong side of the bed. Her face was hidden in the pillows and her hair splayed out to cover any other part of the girl that may have been on show above the sheets which were pulled up tightly over Jenny's shoulders. Vastra couldn't suppress the sudden ache in her heart – was Jenny crying over her? "Jenny... I know you are not asleep."

"Pretend you know different." The girl's voice broke from the abundance of tears but she held her cold tone well. Vastra had been about to take another step forwards but thought better of it as Jenny finally spoke. She didn't want to push her luck; it was the first time that Jenny had not immediately told her to leave in so long and the Silurian was not going to ruin it by being presumptuous

"I cannot." Reluctantly Jenny stirred and she lifted herself from the bed until she was sitting observing Vastra who remained at the foot of the bed. For a short while neither of them spoke, both just studying each other in silence as though it were the first time they had ever laid eyes on one another. Vastra was so overwhelmed as she stood in the same room as her darling girl for the first time in what felt like a millennia that she almost believed she would burst into tears at any second. Just to feel Jenny's eyes on her and to taste her sent so strongly on the air all around them was almost too much for her. She wanted to hold the girl, to kiss her and tell her how much she loved her but she knew that she couldn't. No matter how much she wanted to throw herself into Jenny's arms she knew she must control herself.

"What d'ya want from me ma'am?" The Silurian flinched a little at the use of the formal address and it occurred to her that really not much had changed in Jenny at all. True, she had not yet told her to leave, but Vastra had a sneaking suspicion that a mixture of emotions and tiredness was the cause of Jenny's newly found tolerance of her mistress. Still, at that moment in time she would take any advantage she could get.

"I only came," she started, taking another tentative step forward, "because I heard crying..." The extra step forwards had been what Vastra needed to get close enough to see Jenny's face properly and as she studied its intricacies she couldn't help but notice the state that the girl had gotten herself into. Jenny's cheeks were a bright shade of pink from the crying and down the length of each one the Silurian could just make out tear tracks that ran from the dark circles under the girl's eyes to the end of her chin. The delicate skin of her darling girl's bottom lip seemed to have been chewed until it was red raw and those beautiful dark locks that tumbled down over her shoulders seemed untamed and slightly knotted in places as though the girl had been balling it in her fists as she cried. Still, Jenny tried to cover any sign of Vulnerability. She straightened her back a little more as she spoke and she made sure that she looked directly into the other woman's eyes.

"The baby was..." she started but as Vastra shook her head Jenny knew that there was no point in lying. Her bravery faltered for an instant and her eyes lowered to her hands in her lap, inspecting the skin on her palms as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world. "Despite all o' my instincts I can't 'elp but miss you." Jenny's voice shook ever so slightly as a few tears began to roll down her cheeks and within seconds Vastra was by her side trying to wipe them away. No sooner had scales touched skin, however, than the girl was pushing her mistress' hands away while still trying to avoid making eye contact.

"You said..."

"I know what I said, but it don't change anythin'. Vastra, you all but accused me o' sleepin' around behind your back, I can't just forgive somethin' like that." The girl's tears were falling thick and fast once more and (presumably without realising what she was doing) Jenny had pulled one of Vastra's pillows into her lap where she held it tightly to her chest and breathed in the scent that still lingered there.

Vastra didn't know what to make of it all. The girl said that she missed her but wouldn't forgive her. She clearly needed her and yet she refused to let the Silurian touch her. Why did humans have to be so complicated? Not knowing what to do Vastra stood from where she had perched herself by Jenny's side and absentmindedly wondered over to the baby's crib which Jenny had had her father and the Doctor move into her room so that she could be close to the baby at all times. Peering over the side Vastra felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of her little girl and a small smile pulled at the corner of her lips slightly. It was only the second time that she had ever seen the child and the first when her mind was no longer plagued by the fears that had torn her and Jenny apart. The girl had been right when she had said that the baby was beautiful, she was like a little porcelain figure, so delicate and untarnished but with such beautiful intricacies in every inch of her appearance. The Silurian leant down and pressed a gentle kiss to her daughter's forehead before finally turning back to Jenny.

"I was afraid." Despite being angled towards the girl Vastra couldn't seem to lift her eyes from the floor. She didn't want to be telling Jenny any of what she was about to say but as always the Doctor had been right – she did have to explain. The Silurian made a mental note not to allow the time lord to know that he was the reason she was opening up to the girl, he was far too smug as it was and to let him know would only make him worse. "My love, since the day I met you I knew that there was something different about you that made you unlike the other humans. And when I came to the realisation that I was developing feelings for you I believed that I was setting myself up for heart break – I did not see any way that you could possibly love me in return." Vastra's eyes remained on the floor and she had to stop for a moment as her mind seemed to go blank. Her hands were clasped tightly together to stop them from shaking and it wasn't until the Silurian had taken a few deep breaths that she finally found the words to continue with. "One would have thought that those beliefs would have changed once you had shown reciprocation of my feelings but I am afraid that such an assumption would be wrong. Even lying with you in my arms at night I still could not entirely believe that you loved me. My dear, you are the most kind hearted, intelligent, beautiful and fierce young woman and I could not understand why you would possibly choose a tired out old warrior such as myself over a mate of your own kind who would be much more deserving of you. My insecurities got the better of me in our impending parenthood because I was so afraid that perhaps I had been right and I had not been enough for you. That is why, when I saw how human our child looked, my fears overwhelmed my sense. I do not expect you to forgive me my love, I certainly would not forgive myself in your place, but I do ask that you do not shed tears over me – I am not worth the pain Jenny."

With a quick glance back at the girl Vastra swiftly turned and returned to her new room. She couldn't bring herself to stay with Jenny after opening up as she had, it was simply too difficult for her. She would allow the girl to sleep on what she had said. Perhaps they could discuss matters further in the morning but the dead of night was not a suitable time for them to repair the tears in their relationship if the damage could be fixed at all. So, the Silurian returned to the cold, unfriendly bed in the practically empty guest room and watched through the window as night faded away to be replaced with the rising sun.


End file.
